Revenge
by XxXxDarkVampirexXxX
Summary: Have you ever wondered why Mai never talks about her family or her past? All she mentions is that her parents died when she was young. SPR takes on a case that'll finally shed some light on the girl's mysterious past. Are her parents really dead? Was she really an only child? How does their new client tie in with Mai's life? Just what is it that she's been hiding?
1. Chapter 1

**AN:/ Yo…so…another Ghost Hunt fic…except this one's gonna be much longer… This happens after Naru comes back from England… I never read the novel and found everything out cause of spoilers, so forgive me for any mistakes… Rated M for swearing and possible lemon…not too good with that yet, so mature moments will probably happen much later…**

"Mai, tea!"

The 17 year old girl sighed as her boss called for his beloved drink. Walking into the small kitchen, Mai wondered whether the guy ever drank anything else. Making a mental note to ask Lin, she placed the kettle on the stove and waited._ I really just wanna go home, she thought._ Once it sounded she poured the hot water into a cup, and then plopped in a teabag. She also then quickly made a warm cup of coffee. She had only recently found out that Lin preferred coffee. Setting the two cups on a tray, Mai picked it up and carried it over to Lin's office. She knocked on the door before entering.

"Lin-san, coffee." She said, handing him one of the mugs.

The Chinese man gratefully accepted the drink. He had really been needing it.

"Arigato, Mai-san." He said with a small smile.

Ever since returning from England, the man had become much warmer towards her. Mai attempted to smile back at him, but failed…epically.

"Mai-san…is something wrong?" He asked curiously. "You don't seem to be yourself"

Mai just brushed him off by saying that she was tired and had a lot of homework to do. Lin realized this was a lie, and as the girl left his office, he turned back to his screen, wondering what had happened… Mai then knocked on Naru's office door, hoping he wasn't going to bitch at her. Today, was just not a good day.

"Come in." Came Naru's cool voice.

Mai entered her 18 year old boss's Naru-cave…office, and went over to his desk. She placed the cup down, then looked at him.

"Is there anything else you wanted me to do?" She asked blandly, her tone of voice surprising him.

"File these." Said Naru, pointing at a stack of paper.

Mai said nothing. She merely gathered the papers into her arms and left the room. Naru watched her go, also wondering what was wrong… Dumping the papers on her desk, Mai sat down with a long, drawn out sigh._ Just a few more hours, she thought. And then, I can forget…_ The bell above the main door jingled as it opened. A man in his mid-thirties walked in. Mai jumped up and pulled a fake smile.

"May I help you?" She asked politely.

"Is this the Shibuya Psychic Research Center?"

"Yes it is. Do you have an appointment?"

The man nodded and Mai had him sit down, telling him that she was going to get her boss. She was a couple of feet away from Naru's door, when she realized she hadn't even asked for his name. She turned to look back at him.

"I'm sorry, may I ask for your name?"

The man smiled, and for some reason, this unsettled her a bit.

"No need to apologize. My name's Kiyoshi Hideki." He said.

"Nice to meet you Hideki-san, I'm Mai Taniyama."

And as he sat there waiting, Kiyoshi wondered why the name Taniyama sounded familiar… Mai soon returned with Naru and Lin. When everyone was seated, Naru began to speak.

"Good evening, Hideki-san…Shall we get to business?"

Mai glanced at Naru in surprise. Since when was NARU polite…? Sure, all he had said was "good evening" …but for Naru, that was actually quite kind… Maybe Kiyoshi was some big…rich guy? Kiyoshi then began speaking about what was going on in his house. Naru and Mai listened closely while Lin took notes on his laptop.

"Well, I do live alone." He said. "I'll be sitting there and I'll hear footsteps above me…doors will keep slamming shut…Sometimes, it'll take quite a bit of force to reopen them… Cold spots are everywhere… My friends have complained about getting headaches, or getting sick while at my home… My friends claim that they also always feel as if they're being watched…or that somebody's following them… And… my dogs…were all killed."

This caught Naru's attention.

"Your dogs? …What happened?"

"I'm not quite sure." Kiyoshi said in an offhand sort of voice. "I had two older dogs, male and female, and six puppies… Only one puppy survived… This puppy was outside… I was with it… No one else was in my home… I suddenly heard the dogs barking…the puppies began whining… And when I went inside… I saw them all dead… The two dogs had been stabbed and slashed with a knife of something… The five pups had all been strangled… I've been pushed down the stairs… I've found strange injuries on my body… Cuts and bruises… And, for those, I know I didn't get them from something I did… Sometimes, I find myself in a certain room without knowing how I got there…"

He said a few more things before saying that that was it. Naru sat there thinking for a moment.

"We'll need a few rooms." He said suddenly. "For our base and for the team to sleep in."

Kiyoshi nodded, saying that everything they needed could be arranged for… He soon left the office.

"Mai, call everyone up. Tell them to be here by nine in the morning." Said Naru, beginning to head back to his own office… "Tea!" He called suddenly.

Mai sighed and got to work. She couldn't help but feel that something stranger than usual was going to take place on this case… She just hoped…that she wouldn't be involved…

**And that's the first chapter! Please ignore crappy paragraph structure... Next part should be up once I think of how the case should go down… But, that's what school's for! Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo…here's the next chapter… I thought of this next part when I was in French class…our sub was an old lady who wouldn't even let us talk even though the work's due next week… Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed…I honestly didn't expect anyone to…So, that's awesome…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

_-Italics are also used for dream moments….I wrote dream parts in cursive and then realized that I can't even read my own writing…._

_Mai found herself in a pitch black area._

_"Where am I?" She wondered out loud._

_"Where you always go to during case related dreams." Replied a voice._

_Mai spun around, only to find Gene standing there._

_"Gene!" She called, running over to him._

_He smiled at her as he hugged her. Pulling away, Mai wondered why Naru never behaved like that around her. She knew that his twin's death had affected him…but…why? Why had he turned her down when she had confessed to him? Why had he told her that she loved Gene? Mai loved Gene as a really close friend…not the way she loved Naru… She didn't get the same feelings around the two…even if they were twins… With Gene, she was happy…in a friendly sort of way…Around Naru on the other hand… She'd be happy…angry…annoyed…embarrassed… But he still had the strange ability to make her hot…_

_"Anyway." Mai said, pulling herself out of her thoughts. "Why am I here? We haven't even started the case yet."_

_"I wanted to give you a warning." Said Gene. "And, some advice."_

_Mai looked at him curiously._

_"There will come a time when this case will be increasingly difficult… And I ask you to please, try and keep the team in control… As for the advice…tell them all the truth, Mai… You'll know what I'm talking about when the time comes… Please Mai…tell them the truth…"_

Gene then began to fade away and Mai found herself lying in bed. She sat up slowly, wondering what exactly the guy had been talking about. Glancing at the clock, the brown haired girl jumped out of bed._ I'm late! She thought. Thanks a lot, Gene…_ Luckily, Mai was only five minutes late in arriving outside SPR's office, where their van and Bou-san's car was parked.

"You're late, Mai." Said Naru in annoyance. He wondered why the girl was never able to arrive on time.

"Well, sorry." Said Mai rolling her eyes. "It's not my fault your dead twin brother likes to come give me cryptic warnings in my dreams."

Naru's eyes widened slightly. "Gene? ...Wait, what did you dream?"

The girl recounted her dream, leaving out the part where Gene told her to tell the truth… Which she found kind of odd… After she had finished talking, everyone began talking, wondering what Gene could've been warning them about. Naru however, was watching Mai. She was refusing to make eye contact with anyone… She was hiding something.

"Mai-"He began, only to be cut off Bou-san.

"Naru-bou, shouldn't we get going?"

Naru glanced at his watch*and cursed under his breath. He then ordered everyone to get into their cars. Masako made a huge fuss* and was then allowed to ride in the van with Naru and Lin. Mai on the other hand ended up in Bou-san's car with Ayako, Yasuhara, and John. Though she would've preferred to ride with Naru, the girl had to admit that she wouldn't have missed this car ride for the world. Yasuhara was sitting in the front next to Bou-san who was driving. Poor John, was stuck between the two females, but he too was quite amused. Nothing could beat this ride… Yasuhara was re-enacting a moment that had taken place between his parents a while ago. Mai couldn't stop laughing. Yasuhara was clutching onto Bou-san's arm, and was kissing him on the cheek, while talking to him in an oddly suggestive yet…loving way. The brown haired man tried to fight back, but wasn't able to do so properly because he was afraid he would crash the car… Yasuhara managed to press his lips to Bou-san's neck*, and the older man jerked the steering wheel so hard, that he nearly crashed into SPR's van…

"Bou-san, I'm going to ban you from driving if you do that again." Said Naru a few minutes later while outside Kiyoshi's house.

"That wasn't my fault though." Bou-san tried to explain.

"Stop wasting time." Naru didn't seem to care. "Mai, Lin, come with me. The rest, start taking the equipment out of the van."

Mai, who had been feeling quite happy up to this point, felt her mood being drained as she looked up at the large house in front of her… There was something wrong… Something terribly wrong…

"Mai!" Naru called.

The girl then followed her boss and Lin into the house.

"Mai-chan…" Came a soft voice.

Mai turned around… "Did someone just call my name?"

Naru and Lin shook their heads. Huh…weird…thought Mai.

"Mai-chan." The girl looked around again._ I'm going crazy, she thought… There's no way I can be hearing this…_

"Mai, keep up." Called Naru impatiently, realizing that his assistant had fallen behind again.

And the sound of Mai's hurried footsteps masked the sound of a young girl's voice.

"Mai-oneechan…"

*I have no idea if Naru wears a watch…so, let's just assume he does…

*Even though everyone knows that Naru's actually Oliver Davis, Masako still demands special treatment... She gets so annoying that no one really wants to argue back with her.

*Yasu's not gay…he's just teasing…creepy though…

**So…this chapter comes to an end… I know it's short...I'll try to make the next one longer...next one will be up once I think of something…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yo…well, here's the next chapter…I know you guys wanted longer chapters, so, here you go…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

"Ah, welcome." Said Kiyoshi, meeting Naru, Lin and Mai in the main hall. "I'm glad you came… Let me show you to your base."

The three followed the older man* down the hall and into a spacious room. In it, was a long, large table, a couple of couches, and a few chairs. There was a tall, wooden bookshelf in the corner, completely stocked with books. And, at the back of the room, taking over half the wall, was a huge window covered by red curtains, giving the room a faint bloody glow.*

"Wow…!" Mai exclaimed excitedly. "This room's huge!"

"I do hope this room will be appropriate." Said Kiyoshi with a smile.

Naru nodded and glanced at Mai, who was bouncing around like a little kid. And, as she did that, the back of her skirt fluttered up, giving Naru a slight view of her panties. The guy nearly chocked.

"—Mai! Go help the others with the equipment!"

Mai turned to look at her boss curiously, obviously not realizing what had just happened.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I said so."

Mai huffed and left the room muttering under her breath.

"Stupid narcissistic jerk…why call me here, then send me back? What the heck's the point?"

Lin smirked, Naru resisted the temptation to roll his eyes, and Kiyoshi looked on in amusement… Mai ran into the others in the hallway. All of them, except Masako*, were carrying equipment.

"Hey Mai, where's the base?" Bou-san asked with a grunt.

Mai pointed down the hall at a door, before going outside to the van. She grabbed a monitor and headed back inside.

"…Mai-chan…" Said a soft boy's voice.

"…Mai-oneechan…" Followed a quiet girl's voice.

Mai blinked in surprise, nearly dropping the monitor she was holding._ Those voices again… Why am I the only one who's hearing them? …And why…do they sound like…THEM? Please don't tell me this case is somehow related… Wait! What am I saying! There's NO WAY they can be involved… That happened years ago…_

"Ow!" Looking up, Mai came face to face with Naru's chest_…Oh…_ "Uhh…sorry…Naru…" She said blushing.

"Mai, you really should pay attention. If you break that monitor, you'll have to pay for it."

Mai stuck her tongue out at him as she passed by.

"You can't trick me with that again, Naru" Said Mai. "I know all the equipment's insured."

Naru smirked. "Glad to see you've caught on."

"Hmph!"

Naru couldn't help but give a tiny smile as he watched his younger assistant walk away, her skirt fluttering gracefully around her thighs… The man* shook his head suddenly, attempting to clear his thoughts… Sure he really had…did like Mai… But, he knew that the girl loved his brother… He just wondered…how long he'd be able to resist. If she continued dressing and behaving like that… It wouldn't take too long before he lost control…

"..all …ow ...ooms?"

"..aru! …Naru! …NARU!"

Naru snapped out of his thoughts and looked up, finding himself in the base with everyone staring at him. Bou-san and Ayako were laughing, while Mai stood there, hands on her hips.

"Geez, and you say I space out." She said. "Hideki-san's gonna show us to our rooms now. Did you hear him?" …

As the team followed Kiyoshi upstairs, Mai became lost in her thoughts once more… She didn't get to think for too long though. She had only just reached the top of the stairs, when…

"Ah!" The girl suddenly cried out. She stumbled backwards, and would've fallen back down the stairs if Naru, who had been behind her, hadn't grabbed her by the waist. The force of her stumble however, also caused Naru to lose his balance. Luckily, Bou-san was right there, and was able to grab onto the 18 year old before anything happened. The two steadied themselves and Mai couldn't help but notice that Naru's arm had lingered around her waist for longer than was necessary.

"Mai!"

"S-Sorry! I…uh… I tripped…" The girl said, giving her boss a look saying that she didn't want to talk about whatever had happened in front of their client… She didn't want to freak him out.

"Fine, but you're telling me later." Naru said in a quiet, commanding voice…

"Alright." Said Kiyoshi a moment later. He seemed completely unfazed by what had just happened. "There are four bedrooms up here that you can use. Each has a king sized bed, the bathroom is that last door down the hall. My own room is in the downstairs hallway… And please, help yourselves to anything in the kitchen. I don't actually cook…so you may use whatever you need… I'll be in my office if you need anything else…" And with that, Kiyoshi headed down the stairs and disappeared around the corner.

"What's his rush?" Ayako asked curiously.

They had never seen a client get away from them so quickly.

"Perhaps he has work to do." Said Masako. John nodded in agreement.

"Shall we get on with the room assignments then, boss?" Yasuhara asked with a smile…

"Four rooms…eight people." Said Naru.

"Well, that's simple." Said Ayako, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. "Just go two and two."

"That is what I intend to do, Matsuzaki-san." Said Naru. "We merely have one issue… There are five males and three females."

"AND…? What's your point?" Asked Ayako, clearly not getting it.

Naru sighed. "My point it, that one of you will have to be paired with one of us."

Masako's eyes lit up, and she looked at Naru, clearly hoping that he would pair her with himself. Naru, on the other hand, internally shuddered. Imagine having to share a bed with Masako… He…really rather wouldn't. The man began to think, wondering how exactly he should pair them all off…_ I can pair off Mai with Matsuzaki-san…she can protect the girl that way…No…Hara-san would be paired with a male then, and she won't like it unless it's me… Mai and Hara-san won't work either, since they hardly get along… I can't pair John off with a girl…it would be uncomfortable for the priest… And I'd rather not pair up Yasuhara-san with Bou-san… We'll never have a moment of peace…_

"Alright." He said out loud. "I'll tell you your room assignments… Make sure you stay with you partners though… Hideki-san claimed to have been attacked, and his dogs have all been killed… I'd rather that not happen to one of us." He looked at Mai as he spoke. She said nothing.

Everyone nodded but looked around at each other in surprise and confusion… Was Naru showing concern?

"Matsuzaki-san, Hara-san, I want you two to take this room, here to my left."

The two nodded and went into the room with their things. Mai, with a jolt, realized SHE would be sharing a room with one of the guys._ I wonder who, she thought…_

"Yasuhara-san, John, I want you in that room to my right."

They too, gathered their things and headed off. This left Mai, Naru, Lin and Bou-san standing there.

"Mai… I want you to pair up with—"_ Wait! A voice in Naru's mind suddenly interrupted him._

_"Don't pair her up with yourself." Said the voice._

_"Why not?" Naru argued._

_"Just listen to me for once." Said the voice._

_"…Gene?"_

_"Umm…yeah? Who else would be talking to you in your head?"_

_"…Why shouldn't Mai be partnered with me?" Naru questioned._

_"I promise you'll figure it all out later…but… Pairing the two of you up…will endanger both your lives…" Gene explained, his voice becoming fainter with each word…_

_"…Gene? …Dammit! What the hell did he mean "endanger our lives?" "_

"Umm…Naru? Are you okay…?" Mai asked hesitantly.

Naru blinked_… Oh…right…_ He let out a sigh.

"Mai, I want you and…Bou-san* to take the second last room, there to the left… Lin and I will take the one across on the right."

Lin said nothing, just nodded and headed down the hall into his room. Mai exchanged a curious glance with the monk before picking up her stuff and walking into her own room, leaving Bou-san standing there with Naru. The older man wanted to know why he'd been partnered up with the girl… Not that he had a problem with it! But the look on Naru's face clearly said that now was not the time… Mai was soon joined in the room with Bou-san.

"Ahh…This room's so big! My own room is so tiny compared to this!" Mai exclaimed cheerfully.

Bou-san laughed, putting his suitcase down next to Mai's. He then went over to her and ruffled her hair.

"Come on, jou-chan, Naru wants everyone in the base." He said.

"Hai!"

_Well, at least she's happy, Bou-san thought with a smile._ The two of them headed back downstairs, and into the base where everyone was already seated. Mai sat down on the couch next to John, while Bou-san sat down on her other side. They all looked at Naru, waiting to see what he'd say.

"First off, Mai, what happened in the hall earlier?" Naru questioned.

"Well…I had just reached the top of the stairs when…someone pushed me… I felt a hand…on my chest, it pushed me back pretty hard…" Mai replied thoughtfully. With a sigh she added. "I can already feel a bruise forming…"

"Did you see what pushed you?"

Mai shook her head, and Naru then turned to Masako.

"Do you sense anything yet, Hara-san?"

Masako lifted her kimono sleeve up to her mouth and thought.

"There is…something evil here…but I cannot tell where at this time." She said after a moment.

Naru nodded. "Matsuzaki-san, accompany Hara-san on a walkthrough of the property."

Masako and Ayako left the room, the older woman grumbling under her breath.

"Mai, tea. Bou-san, go with her."

Said two people also left the room… As they waited for the kettle, Mai began to speak.

"Neh, Bou-san…why did Naru pair us together?"

"I dunno." The monk replied with a shrug. "I figured he was going to pair you with himself…"

"Why would he do that?"

Bou-san looked at Mai in surprise. Her tone of voice had been so…cold…Almost as cold as Naru's.

"He wants to protect you." Bou-san replied. "He likes you."

Mai laughed bitterly, causing the monk to look at her in confusion.

"If he really did, why would he have rejected me?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them._ Oh…crap… Did I just say that out loud?_

"HE WHAT!" Bou-san exclaimed so loudly that Mai actually winced. Fortunately, the girl was saved from responding by their boss's sudden yell for them to hurry up. They returned to the base and Mai served everyone some tea… Moments later, Ayako and Masako returned as well. Mai noticed that the medium seemed a little pale. I wonder what she sensed…

"…Hara-san, heave you got something?" Naru asked, closing whatever it was he had been reading.

"…Yes." Said Masako with a nod. "There is definitely some sort of…dark presence in this house… However, it is skilled at concealing itself, therefore I am unable to see it clearly… There are also the spirits of two children here… A little boy and girl…"

"Children?" John repeated in surprise.

Masako raised her kimono sleeve again. "They were murdered."

*I dunno how old Lin is, but I'm guessing he's younger than Kiyoshi

*It's how I pictured it in my head. A blood red...sounds sick...

*I can't picture Masako doing physical labour

*He's 18, so he'd be a man now right...?

* I don't see Mai and Bou-san in a sibling sort of way, and I wanted them to have some sort of...moment together. I think's Bou-san' really hot... Don't worry! It's still a NaruxMai fic!

**And that's the end of this bit…I kinda think this chapter sucked…I dunno…I'll try and keep them this long…Maybe a bit longer...I was five pages...Next one'll be up soon…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz! …Oh! And if someone could please read and review my story _Black Midnight_ on fictionpress…I really wanna know if I should continue it…I'm under the same name there _(XxXxDarkVampirexXxX)_ Please! Thankz!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo...here's the next chapter...Finally reached ten reviews! Thankz to everyone reading this! (Don't ask why I put Z's... It's just my thing...) Anyway, ten is awesome for me, it's the most I've ever gotten...**

A gasp rang through the room._ Murdered, huh, thought Mai. Were they killed in this house?_ ...Naru, seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"Yasuhara-san, some of those books in the bookshelf contain the house's history. See if you can find out about those children." Said Naru.

Yasuhara nodded, and plopped down on the floor after pulling out a book... There was a very long silence. Everyone was thinking. _Who could those_ _children be? How had they been killed? ...WHO had killed them?_ ...Mai, was also running over the claims in her mind...

"Naru?" She said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Naru looked up. "What is it?"

"Remember the things Hideki-san said happens to some of his friends?"

"Yes." Said Naru with a nod. He wondered where the girl was going with this.*

"Don't you think it could be caused by high EMF?" Mai asked.

Naru and Lin exchanged a glance as they thought it over. Yasuhara, on the other hand, looked up from his notebook in confusion.

"EMF?" He repeated curiously.

Bou-san and Ayako also seemed a bit confused.*

"Care to explain, Mai?" Said Naru wondering whether the girl actually knew what it was she had suggested.

Mai thought for a moment. "Well...EMF stands for Electromagnetic Field." She explained. "Theory is, that basically, spirits give off some sort of...electric and magnetic energy...aka. EMF...certain objects also do so...Then you have people who are...hypersensitive... They only need to be exposed to these fields for a few minutes, before they somehow react to them... Nausea...skin irritation...headaches...paranoia...as in, the feeling you're being watched...followed...touched...spoken to... Everything Hideki-san said those friends of his experience, are common symptoms of hypersensitivity to high EMF fields..."*

"Ohh...huh..." Said Yasuhara, going back to his notes.

Naru looked at his young assistant in surprise. Had MAI really just said that? ...Sincerely praising her however, was not how he really did things... Instead, he automatically praised her sarcastically.

"I'm impressed, Mai." He said. "Glad to see you finally managed to learn something without me having to tell you to."

Everyone looked at Mai, waiting for the bombshell to drop... But instead of yelling at him like she usually did, the 17 year old spoke in a deadly calm voice.

"Well then, thank you Naru," She said. "But I wonder, what exactly is it that you thought I did while you were gone? Cry, bitch, and moan? ...I studied, Naru... I studied my ass off... I knew you'd be back... I knew you'd restart SPR.. I knew you'd rehire me.. I knew I needed to be ready... I'm not the same as I used to be..."*

Now Naru, wasn't the only one who was surprised. Everyone was staring at the teenage girl in shock. Everyone except Masako, that is. The medium sat there glaring at Mai. Why exactly, no one knew... And as he watched his assistant, Naru realized that she HAD matured during the year he had been gone.* ...She had grown an inch or two taller, and her hair now went down to her shoulders. Her body had matured slightly as well... Hell, she looked more appealing than ever... Her posture...her attitude, was no longer like a child... Of course, she still had her sunny, full of life smile... In some ways, she was still exactly the same...* Bou-san however, then realized that Naru leaving had affected the girl more than she had let on...

"Hey, boss?" Said Yasuhara suddenly.

Naru turned to look at him, indicating he was listening.

"There's nothing about children dying on this property... In fact...no children have ever even lived here... This house is fairly new as well... It was built in 1970, and was owned by a couple named...Shuuhei and Asa Minami... They didn't have any children...and they lived here until about...13 years ago, when Hideki-san bought the house from them... 7 years ago, he left for about a year, but then came back... Hideki-san's lived here alone the entire time." The bespectacled boy concluded.

Looking up he added, "What do you think, Shibuya-san?"

Naru sat there thinking silently, and the others all sighed. The guy never shared what he thought... Not until later, that is... A couple of minutes later, he finally decided to speak.

"Yasuhara-san, I want you to go to the library and do some research there. We need to find out who those children are... The rest...start setting up the equipment."

They all did as told. Yasuhara left the house, while nearly everyone else went around the building setting up cameras and things... Once that was done, everyone returned to the base. Mai and Bou-san had only just entered the room, when Naru sent the girl out to make tea. Mai muttered under her breath as she did so.

"Stupid scientist, sits on his ass while we do all the damn manual labour..."

Naru sighed. _Some things never change, he thought_...He actually loved it when Mai said stuff like that... It was...amusing... The man was wrenched out of his thoughts when a sudden scream filtered through the home. Naru immediately realized who it was...

"Mai!"

*Mai sometimes spews out random ideas, and Naru usually proves her wrong.

*I don't know if monks and mikos know about EMF's and things...I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me.

*Just a simple explanation. I didn't want to make it too complicated in case there are people who don't know what I'm talking about.

*Mai's a little ooc, but there's a good reason for it. Don't worry, she should go back to normal soon.

*I don't know how long Naru's actually gone for, but for the sake of this story, let's just say it's a year.

*Sorry if that didn't make sense. I'm trying to say she's changed a bit, but is still basically the same.

**And that's the end of this part...I know the chapter was short, but I feel really lazy today...and I have no idea what I'm gonna do next...Don't worry, I'm not stopping this...next update should be in a couple of days...Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yo…sorry about the delay…had a killer migraine…and a crap load of homework to do…so, here's the next chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

Naru ran out of the room, closely followed by Lin and Yasuhara. He had told Ayako and Masako to stay in the base… Sitting on the kitchen floor, supporting her arm, with Bou-san kneeling next to her, was Mai. Naru's fists clenched when he realized the girl was bleeding.

"Mai!"

"Mai-san!"

"Taniyama-san!"*

Mai was then taken to the base, where Ayako took care of her arm. Sitting innocently on a table, was a bloody knife.

"Mai…what happened?" Naru asked almost angrily.

"How the hell would I know? Bou-san and I were just standing there in the kitchen, talking… And then this damn knife came flying out of nowhere! It paused…quivered for a moment, and then cut me."

Ayako let out a sigh as she stood up. "You're lucky, the wound isn't too deep, so you won't need stitches… Just try not to bang this arm against anything."

Mai nodded and thanked the red haired miko/doctor.

Naru, who had just looked over a Bou-san, realized the monk seemed to want to say something.

"Bou-san, is there something you want to add?" Asked Naru, his eyes narrowed.

_Damn, if looks could kill, thought Bou-san. Why's he so pissed? …Oh, right…he loves her… Can she not see that? No, wait… Naru's the idiot…_

"Whatever attacked Mai, was trying to kill her, but…it also seemed as if something was…interfering in what was going on… Some other…force stopped that spirit from seriously injuring Mai." Bou-san explained slowly, as if he were carefully thinking about each word.

While everyone was discussing what had happened, Mai leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes. She wasn't planning on falling asleep, but did so anyway.

_Opening her eyes, Mai found herself lying on the ground…at least, she thought it was the ground. It was pitch black. She couldn't see anything… Just as she thought this, a room began to form around her… A bedroom… It was painted a beautiful sky blue, and obviously belonged to a young girl… There was a small bookcase against the wall, full of picture books… Toys were strewn everywhere, dolls and stuff… The curtains were drawn back, filling the cheerful room with sunshine. And sitting there, in the middle of it all…was a little girl… She looked about four years old, and had short brown hair that was tied into pigtails. She was dressed in a little green skirt with matching shirt… She was really cute. She sat there quietly playing with one of her dolls. Mai stood there, watching in surprise. Gene then materialized next to her._

_"…Gene…what is this…? Why…why am I seeing this?" Mai asked in total confusion, not to mention shock. "It's not related…is it? I mean, it can't be…"_

_Gene smiled sadly. "I'm sorry." He said apologetically. "But…it is related…"_

_"Oh god no…"_

_"Mai, make sure you tell Noll about this." Said Gene. "He needs to know."_

The girl then felt herself waking up. She seemed to be laying on the couch, her right arm dangling over the edge. Feeling something wet on her fingers, she jolted up and looked down in alarm. A dog…a puppy more specifically, looked up at her curiously. Mai let out the breath she had been holding and reached down.

"Hey there little guy…oh…I mean, girl." Said Mai, correcting herself when she realized the true gender of the puppy.

She was sitting there, petting this puppy cheerfully, when the rest of SPR, who had been off somewhere, returned to the base… The sight before him, made Naru freeze… The way Mai sat there, her short skirt riding up her legs slightly as she gently stroked the puppy's soft fur, with a soft, sweet smile on her face…_ Mai, thought Naru sitting_ _down_. And then he shook his head. What the hell was he thinking? The others except Lin and Masako, all crowded around the 17 year old and the small canine.

"She's so cute!" Ayako exclaimed, petting the puppy herself.

Mai laughed in agreement before looking over at Naru, who was buried in some file again. Feeling her eyes upon him, the man looked up.

"What is it?" He asked coldly before mentally smacking himself.

Mai hesitated._ Should I…tell him about the dream? I…no…no, I can't…_ "Nothing, I was just wondering how long I had been asleep for." She lied._ I can't tell him, or anybody_ _else… It doesn't matter whether it's related to what we're doing or not…_

"Are you alright, Mai-san?" John asked caringly.

He seemed to notice that something was off…Mai smiled. You couldn't really put anything past the priest…

"I'm fine, John." Said Mai. "But thank you for asking."

"Mai, Bou-san, take the thermometer and the K2 meter* and note down all the readings." Naru commanded without even looking up.

Mai sighed, grabbed the equipment and dragged the monk out with her, leaving the base silent except for Ayako's puppy cooing.

"Why does that jerk make us do all the work?" Mai said with a huff.

"Well, you ARE his assistant." Said Bou-san. "You gotta do something if you expect to get paid."

Mai pouted childishly… An hour later, the two returned to the base.

"What took you so long?" Naru asked in annoyance. "The task I gave you was quite simple."

Mai handed her boss the clipboard, while Bou-san sat down in an empty seat.

"Naru, you realize how long it takes to get a proper EMF reading, right?" Said Mai rolling her eyes. "You have to take readings from every inch of the room to get the base reading, then try to look for a source if the reading is higher that the BR.* And you have to watch out for wires and things from in the walls, not to mention all of OUR equipment, which also give off EMF, are adding to the reading. And while we do all this, you sit there on your ass sipping tea!" Finishing her rant, Mai sat down and took a breath. "And now my head hurts…" Catching the looks on the other's faces, she added "I'm fine though."

The room was silent for a couple of minutes…

"I'm baaaack!" Came a sudden loud yell.

"Yasu's back." Said Mai sarcastically.

Yasuhara soon came into the base. He had just sat down when…

"Mai! Tea!"

"Hai, hai…" Said Mai, getting to her feet.

She and John left the room. Bou-san was complaining about being too tired, so the priest volunteered to go with her.

"Mai-san…are you sure you're alright?" John questioned quietly as they stood in the kitchen. Mai forced herself to smile normally.

"Of course I'm alright! I'm just pissed at that lazy assed narcissistic jerk! I mean, why can't he make his own tea! …Wait…does Naru even know HOW to make tea…?"

The two burst out laughing as the thought of Naru making tea popped into their heads…. Once everyone had a drink, Naru looked over at Yasuhara who was, once again, teasing Bou-san.

"Yasuhara-san, did you manage to find any information?"

Yasu nodded and pulled out his notes. "Boss, I double checked and everything I said before is true." He repeated the information he had given before he had gone to the library. "I also checked records of children who passed away in this area… Supposedly there are three, but…" He stopped, hesitating.

Mai's eyes widened when she realized what Yasuhara was about to say. She jumped up, grabbed his arm, and dragged him out of the room. She pulled the older boy into the kitchen.

"Taniyama-san?"

"Yasu, what did you find out?" Mai asked in a rush. "Those kids! What did you find out about those three kids?"

Yasuhara stared at the girl in surprise. He had never seen Mai so…agitated before._ But then again… I guess the information I found really was…_

"Taniyama-san… I know what happened." Said the boy.

"Shit…" Said Mai looking down. _What do I do now? …Yasu's already mentioned that he knows… Now they'll all be expecting him to tell them… He can't…they can't find out…I don't-_ Her own thought was cut off when another voice filled her mind.

_"Tell them all the truth, Mai… You'll know what I'm talking about when the time comes… Please Mai…tell them the truth…"_

Did she really have to tell them? She sighed then looked up at Yasuhara. "Yasu…do you mind if I tell the others? …I want to do it myself…" Said Mai.

Yasuhara nodded and smiled slightly. "Don't worry… I'll be there too if you need help."

"Hm…"

The two returned to the base. Yasuhara sat back down, but Mai stayed standing. She closed the door and leaned back against it, her arms crossed at her chest.

"Mai. What are you doing? You can't just leave like that." Said Naru.

"…Yasu, found some information about the two dead kids here…and I, am somehow related to this case."

Naru's head snapped up. "What do you mean you're related to the case?"

"…I think it's time…to tell you all about…my family." Said Mai.

"What do you mean?" Asked Ayako. "I thought you said you were an orphan because your parents died when you were younger…"

"…They did." Said Mai. "But there are some things I didn't tell you guys… Things I don't want to talk about…think about… Things I'd rather just forget… But because of this case… I don't have a choice… you'll find out sooner or later, and I'd rather you all hear it from me"

"What is it? What do you need to say?" Asked Bou-san curiously.

Mai closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.

"My family…was murdered…"

*Yasu will always call Mai by her last name

*A K2 meter is used to detect changes in electromagnetic fields

*BR is short for "base reading" in case anyone didn't manage to pick that up

* What should I name the puppy? She's small and really cute… I dunno the breed…I don't really know that many…and I have NO idea what to name her…

**So…this's the end of this chapter… It's shorter than I wanted it to be, but it's all I was able to think of so far… Next chapter should be up in a couple of days… Obsessed should also be updated by tomorrow… Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yo…here's the next part….Also, I know there hasn't been any lemony goodness yet…don't worry…that should start up in the next chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

"Murdered…?"

Mai nodded. "I…I'm not an only child…I didn't want to speak about this, cause I didn't want to think about it."

"You had siblings?" Ayako asked in surprise.

"Yes…An older brother named Ryou…and a sister named May*…She, was my twin…"

"Wha-?"

At this, Mai chanced a glance at Naru. She was glad to see the surprised and confused look on his face.

"What happened to them, Mai?" Naru asked.

Mai sighed. "One day, when May and I were four…nii-chan was eight…Dad took nii-chan to work with him. I'm not sure why… My parents were teachers…they taught at Tokyo University. Anyway, later in the evening, this…detective came to our home… He told us…that dad and nii-chan had been found dead in his last period classroom… They had been killed by a single gunshot wound to the forehead…execution style…" Mai recounted quietly.

"Oh my gosh…"

Mai smiled lightly. "Yeah… We moved then…mom didn't want to love in the same house…too many memories… So, we started over, just the three of us… Everything was okay…until May and I turned ten… One day, she and mom stayed home, cause May was sick… I remember arguing with mom… I wanted to stay home too… I didn't want to go to school by myself… Mom naturally made me… Being a teacher, she was against skipping school… Later in the afternoon, I was in the classroom… Sensei asked us to hand in our journals… Since May and I sat next to each other, Sensei asked me to hand hers in too… So, I took it from her desk and… I dunno how it happened, but…I saw what was going on at home… I saw it in my mind, but at the same time it felt…as if I was really there… I saw this man…he attacked my mom…he had this…big knife… I think mom passed out, cause I know she didn't die… The guy went to May…he attacked her too…the same way…but he touched her…using his hands…the knife… And I felt as this myself… It was like…I was May… I felt his hands…the cold blade…the warm blood…and then I felt the cool metal on my forehead… He had a gun to May's forehead… I could feel the pain May was in… She was screaming…screaming for dad…for mom…for nii-chan…for me… And he laughed…he just…stood there, and laughed… And then pulled the trigger…" Said Mai quietly.

A gasp rang through the room.

"What happened then?" John asked in shock.

Mai didn't look at him. She just spoke to the floor. "I found myself back in the classroom, as if nothing had happened… A police officer came and took me to a hospital a little while later… There, mom and a detective told me what had happened… And on her deathbed, mom gave me the key to our old house… The one we had lived in when dad and nii-chan were alive… Then mom died… I had new guardians…my aunt and uncle… They were really horrible people…they starved me, hurt me… They died when I was twelve…car accident… I had a teacher sort of…look out for me till I joined SPR…"

"What happened to the people who killed your family?" Asked Yasu.

"Person, you mean."

"…Wait, what?"

"The same person who killed dad and nii-chan, killed mom and May." Said Mai. "And no, he was never found… The case has gone cold…there was no evidence or anything…"

"Oh god." Said Bou-san in shock.

Mai finally looked up. "Naru…a while ago, you told me that I didn't know what it was like, watching your twin die and not being able to help them… Well, I do know… I carried this inside, for seven years… You only had to for two or three years… I don't see, why you still mourn… You should enjoy…live your life to the fullest…for Gene who couldn't…just as May couldn't… Excuse me." Mai finished, leaving the room as quickly as she could without running.

Everyone in the base was in shock…they couldn't believe that THIS was what Mai had been hiding…

"Oh yeah, Shibuya-san…in case you were wondering why Taniyama-san was behaving strangely the other day, it's because it's been exactly thirteen years since the first incident happened, and seven years since the second one." Yasuhara explained.

Naru and Lin now understood why Mai had been so quiet the past few days.

"Wait a second." Said Yasuhara suddenly.

They all turned to look at him again.

"I found information on the only two children who died in this area. Ryou and May Taniyama…"

"Your point?" Asked Naru.

"If those two are the ones haunting this house…they're haunting Hideki-san, right?"

"Yes."

"Why would two children like them haunt this one random man?" Yasuhara asked curiously.

"The darker spirit may be forcing them to." Said Naru.

Lin however, seemed to have a different opinion. And as he voiced it, everyone looked at him in shock.

"What if…Hideki-san, is the one who killed Mai-san's family?"

*Mai…May…do you get it? Hint: months…

**And that's the end of this chapter…I know its short, please forgive me…Next one will be longer and up soon…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yo…I'm sooo sorry about the delay…My tiny brain decided to block out anything Ghost Hunt and paranormal related, so it took me forever to write this chapter…it doesn't really have anything paranormal related till the very end…It's my feeble attempt at sweet…**

*A couple of chapters ago, I had Mai and Bou-san take a K2 Meter to get EMF readings. I meant to add that they also take an EMF Reader. K2 only detects changes in EMF, while the other actually gives you a proper reading. Sorry bout that… I doubt anyone noticed, but it was really bugging the crap outta me.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

"Hideki-san…? Why would he have killed Mai-chan's family?" Bou-san questioned in confusion.

"I'm not sure." Said Lin turning back to the monitors. "But it seems like a possibility."

Suddenly realizing that Mai had left the room alone, Naru went to look for her. He found her in the room she shared with the monk. She was lying face down on the bed. Naru approached her and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

"Mai."

She didn't move.

"Mai…" He tried again.

Still, nothing except a small sniff. Naru placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. She tensed.

"Mai, look at me." Said Naru.

Mai shook her head. She didn't want to show the man her tear stained face…not again. Naru gently turned the girl onto her back, but she covered her face with her arm. He lowered it. She raised the other. Naru noticed Mai holding something in her left hand. He carefully took it. She did not object… It was a photograph, Naru realized. There were two children in it…both girls…both identical. Mai and May. Being a twin himself, the man could easily tell the two apart. Mai, was obviously the one on the right. He recognized her bright smile.

_"Stop staring at the picture and comfort her you idiot." Came Gene's voice suddenly._

_"Gene?"_

_"Forget me!" Said Gene angrily. "Comfort her, or you'll lose her!_" And with that, Gene's voice faded away once again.

For once, Naru did what his brother had told him to do. He put the picture down, and in one swift motion, pulled Mai into his arms. Her head now against his chest. Mai stiffened in his hold, but relaxed when he gently began stoking her hair

"It's okay, Mai." Said Naru quietly. "You can cry…"

And suddenly, Mai was sobbing onto his chest, tears she had kept inside for seven years, finally spilling out. During this, Naru kept a firm, yet gentle hold on the girl. He comforted her with soft strokes, and light squeezes. Soon, Mai's sobs subsided, and were replaced with sniffs. A moment later, Mai pulled away, her hands still on her boss's chest.

"Are you alright now?" Naru asked in a much softer tone than usual.

"Hmm." Said Mai with a tiny nod. "But Naru…why'd you…?"

"You ran off alone." Said Naru. "I needed to make sure you were okay…"

Mai looked at him, startled by his answer. Realizing what he had said, Naru looked away, blushing slightly. He had been unable…or maybe unwilling, to create a cunning remark. Something he never missed a chance to do. Mai noticed this, and giggled.

"Who would've thought you could be so nice, Naru." She said smiling.

"Mai…can't you see?"

"See what?"

"That…that I love you." Said Naru.

Mai's eyes widened in shock. Sadly, Naru didn't just leave it at that…

"I honestly don't know how much longer I'll be able to handle this." He said. "But I get it. I know you love Gene. Just…just let me indulge in my own need, a little…"

And suddenly, Mai slapped him, hard.

"Are you a friggin idiot?" Mai questioned incredulously. "I don't love Gene. I love you."

Naru, however, shook his head. "You're mixing us up. Confusing you feelings for him with me…because I look like him… You both are the same…it's no surprise you fell for hi-!"

Naru was cut off when Mai's soft lips were suddenly pressed against his own. But she pulled away before he had a chance to do anything. Mai cupped his cheek.

"Naru, I had my own twin at one point… I know how they differ… And I know how the feelings I get around you and Gene differ… You may look the same, but you couldn't be any more different. I know my feelings better than anyone, Naru." Mai explained. She leaned in close to him and said softly, "And I know, without a single doubt…that I love you, Oliver Davis…"

Before Mai knew it, she had been pulled into a kiss. Her using his real name, seemed to have struck something inside Naru, finally allowing him to believe. Mai's arms entwined around his neck, as she began to kiss him back… Naru ran his tongue over Mai's soft lips, asking her to allow him in. She did. The kiss became deeper, yet sweeter at the same time… Needing air, the two reluctantly pulled apart, but did not break contact with each other… Both of them were panting slightly, and Naru gave Mai a smile, which she returned.

"Ow!" Naru gave a sudden exclamation of pain.

"Naru?" Mai questioned curiously.

"What the hell are you doing, Gene?" Naru basically yelled.

"Gene?"

Mai looked around, only to see that Eugene Davis had materialized next to them. It seemed he had hit his brother upside the head.

"About time!" Gene exclaimed with a smile. "Thought you two would never get it on!"

Neither Naru, nor Mai had a chance to respond though. There was a loud bang, followed by an almost, inhuman scream, and the entire house was plunged into darkness.

"Naru?" Mai said feeling around for her new boyfriend.

There was no answer. She found his arm. He wasn't moving.

"Naru…?"

She shook him slightly. He still didn't move.

"Naru!"

**And yeah…there we go…umm…I dunno…I'm not good with…these kinda moments…Sorry, I know it's short…Next chapter should be up soon…Looking forward to reviews!** **Laterz!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yo…*sigh* Sorry once AGAIN for the delay…Long story short, my laptop broke a couple of months ago, and I've been using the PC and my mum's laptop for these…My brother's been playing Dark Souls and tells us to keep the PC off cause the online part of the game lags…And my mum loves to sit and watch random shows and play games on_ Facebook_ all day…Which is why it takes me forever to update…Anyway, here's the next bit…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

Mai let out a sudden cry of pain as something roughly grabbed her arm. And she knew it wasn't Naru. It wasn't even Gene. Taking advantage of the moment, the dark spirit had decided to make its move.

"Ah! No! Let me go!" Mai cried out.

The door banged open and someone ran in, chanting in a deep voice.

"Naumaku Sanmanda Bazaradan Kan!"

The pressure in Mai's arm lifted and the lights flickered a few times before staying on.

"Bou-san…" Mai sighed in relief.

"What happened to Naru-bou?" The monk asked approaching the bed.

Mai gasped and whipped around. "Naru!"

He still wasn't moving and now, Mai began to cry.

"Naru! Naru! Wake up you moron!"

Mai's insult seemed to work. Naru began to stir. He half sat up before letting out a groan.

"Naru!" Mai exclaimed in relief.

She hugged him tightly, despite the fact that he was in pain and propped up on an elbow. Naru wrapped an arm around the girl's waist, but mocked her anyway.

"Oh, so you can't live without me speaking to you for five minutes?"

Bou-san smirked, but Mai was less than amused. Naru felt two sudden jolts of pain. One, where Mai had hit him, and the other, where a wild Gene had. Eugene disappeared right after though.

"I can't believe you're mocking me!" Mai cried. "One second, you're holding me, and the next, the lights are out, and you're frickin passed out next to me! How am I not supposed to worry?"

Naru sighed. "Okay, okay, I get it…"

A couple of minutes later in the base, the rest of the team were told what had happened.

"Mai-san, what happened to your arm?" John asked suddenly.

The girl looked down and blinked. The same arm that had been cut earlier, now had a large, dark bruise on it… The wound was shaped as a hand.

"Oh yeah, I forgot it grabbed me." Said Mai.

"Were you that worried about Naru?" Ayako questioned slyly as she carefully examined Naru.

Mai blushed and Naru scowled.

"Well, you don't need to worry, Naru's fine. He's got a small bump on the head…but that's it." Ayako sat back down…

Mai looked up, and caught sight of Masako's expression. Normally, when a joke about Naru and Mai would be made, Masako would get angry… Her face didn't show anger, but something quite different._ She looks kinds sick…_

"Hey, Masako? Are you okay?"

"…When the lights had gone out…the dark spirit's presence became overwhelming… Ryou-san and May-san's presences vanished…" Said Masako from behind her kimono sleeve.

"What?"

"Don't worry, I can feel them again. Their presences returned when the lights came back on."

"Oh, good." Said Mai in relief, knowing that the bad spirit hadn't devoured the spirits of her brother and sister.

There was a moment of silence.

"Yasuhara-san, did you find any information on who this dark spirit may be?" Naru asked a minute later.

Yasuhara shook his head. "Sorry, boss. I haven't been able to find anything yet…"

Naru sighed and Mai blinked in surprise, suddenly realizing something.

"What if this dark spirit is something Hideki-san picked up somewhere else?"

Mai's 18 year old boss slowly looked over at her. The girl knew she had once again, impressed her new boyfriend.

"Lin, call Madoka. Tell her to meet Yasuhara-san at the library."* Said Naru.

The Chinese man gave a nod, and pulled out his cell phone.

"Boss! You're sending me out in this horrid weather, again!" Yasuhara exclaimed in a scandalized voice.

Mai laughed. "But it's sunny out, Yasu." She pulled the curtain back.

"No! My eyes!" Yasuhara cried, shielding his face.

Naru almost seemed unfazed by the college boy's antics. "Yasuhara-san, you have a couple of hours before the library closes. I expect you and Madoka to return with some information."

"Yes sir!" Yasuhara saluted. Then, he marched out of the room.

Mai muffled her laugh in Bou-san's shirt.*

"Mai, tea."

Mai sighed. "Yeah, okay… C'mon Bou-san."

The monk pouted like a child. "I don't wanna go."

"…What…?"

"Mai. I need tea. You don't get paid to stand around." Said Naru coldly.

"But no one wants to come with me." Mai whined. "And you're the one who said no one can go off alone…"

Naru sighed and got up. "I'll go with you."

"Oh…okay…"

And the two of them left the base with a lightly awkward air… A minute or so later, they were in the kitchen, waiting for the water to boil. Mai was seated on the counter next to the stove, while Naru stood beside her, leaning against the marble…

Mai suddenly found Naru standing in front of her, his hands on either of her sides against the edge of the counter. Mai smiled, wrapped her arms around Naru's shoulders, leaned down slightly, and captured his lips in a kiss…

Naru however, was NOT going to let the girl dominate…Not yet at least. He deepened the kiss, and took control, smirking when Mai gasped. He had his hand now resting on Mai's leg. That hand had slowly slid up the hem of her skirt, and was now stroking her thighs…right below the rim of her panties. Mai blushed furiously, but her own hands had begun working on Naru's shirt. She had gotten at least three buttons undone, when the kettle started screaming.

The couple pulled away from each other, red and panting. Mai turned the stove off, and suddenly felt someone roughly shove her from behind. She impacted with Naru's chest and lost her balance. Her boyfriend grabbed her by the waist, ensuring neither of them fell.

Out of nowhere, the lights began flickering, and the same dark figure materialized once again. It pointed at Mai who felt drowsiness hit her like a ton of bricks. As her eyes began to close, a voice rang through her head.

"I will have my revenge!"

*Madoka's in Japan during this case.

*Bou-san was sitting next to Mai.

**So yeah…that's it…Next chapter should be up soon…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Kyaaa! I'm so sorry! I meant to update last weekend, but Uncharted 3 came out, and I got busy with that…Then I found out a family member died a couple of days ago, and there's allot of crap going on…Anyway…here's the next part….**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

_"…Ahh…I can't believe I passed out again." said Mai. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. She was standing…in a house. __"Huh…where have I seen this before? This house looks familiar."_

_"That's because this was your uncle's house." Said Gene approaching._

_"Hey Gene… What do you mean?"_

_"Your uncle, Suzaku-san. Do you remember him?" Asked Gene._

_Mai thought for a moment. The name after all, did sound familiar…_

_"Umm… Oh yeah! I remember him! He suddenly died when I was seven! They said he had committed suicide…" Said Mai._

_"He didn't kill himself." Said Gene. "He was murdered… Murdered by the same person who killed your family."_

_"…What…?"_

_Gene nodded._

_"Is he…the dark spirit here?"_

_Once again, Gene gave a nod._

_"What…why though? Why's he-" Mai began._

_But before Mai could complete her sentence, or the boy could answer, Gene began to disappear._

_"Gene, wait!"_

Mai's eyes shot open. She looked around the dark room and realized she was in the bedroom she shared with the monk. Mai glanced down and saw Bou-san fast asleep next to her, his mouth slightly open, though thankfully, not snoring.

The girl was slightly confused though. She had expected that since she and Naru were officially a couple now, her boss would switch rooms with the monk.

Mai quietly slipped out of bed and crossed the threshold. At the door, she stopped. She looked back at the bed._ Naru told us not to leave our partners alone… Ah, Bou-san's a monk, he can protect himself._ And with that last thought, she left the bedroom. She tiptoed down the hall to the bathroom and freshened up a bit, before heading down to the base.

As expected, the room was empty. Since the monitors were off, it was pitch black. Mai didn't bother turning the lights on. She went over to the couch and lay down, resting an arm over her eyes.

*Flashback*

"Naru?"

Naru sighed, knowing Mai was going to ask another stupid question.

"Yes, Mai?"

"How would you know if something happens if you don't watch the monitors?" Asked Mai.

Naru looked at her incredulously. "We analyze the evidence later, Mai."

"Oh, right. That makes sense."

"Tea."

"Hai…"

*End Flashback*

_Wow, I was really stupid when I first started working, wasn't I_? …She let out a sigh._ I don't understand how Suzaku-ojisan could be that dark spirit… And if it is him, why's he hurting me? …Why are all three spirits in this house related to me? Ryou-oniichan, May, Suzaku-ojisan… I don't get it… It doesn't make any sense to me…_

Lost in her thoughts, Mai didn't hear the door open. Feeling the end of the couch press down, Mai looked over in surprise. Because it was dark, Mai could only make out a figure, no details. But, despite this, she clearly knew who it was.

"Naru…"

Mai sat up and Naru pulled her onto his lap. Mai was a bit surprised, but leaned into his embrace without hesitation.

"Neh, Naru?"

"Hm?"

"I know who the dark spirit is." Said Mai.

"You do?" Naru questioned in surprise.

"Yeah. Gene told me." Said Mai. "His name's Suzaku Taniyama-san. He's my uncle."

"What…? Your uncle?"

Mai nodded. Naru didn't see the nod, but felt it.

"What happened to him?" Asked Naru cautiously.

"Well, I was told he had committed suicide when I was seven, but according to Gene, he was killed by whoever killed my family." Mai explained quietly.

"You mean Hideki-san?" Naru said without realizing.

"…Hideki-san…? Kiyoshi Hideki-san?" Asked Mai.

"Huh? Yeah."

Mai was now sitting bolt upright.

"Are you telling me, that our CLIENT killed my family…?"

**And there we go…I know, it's short…again…I honestly don't even know where I'm going with this…*Laughs then sighs* Next chapter should be up soon…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Yo...I'm really sorry for the delay...I was supposed to put this chapter up last weekend, but a couple of deaths have taken place in my family and I'm really stressed out right now...Anyway, here it is...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

Mai got off the couch and made it to the door in less than three strides.

"Where is he?" She growled furiously forcing the door open. "Where the fuck is he?"

Naru grabbed hold of the girl's arm, and pulled her back towards him. Mai fought back roughly.

"Let me go!"

"Mai! Calm down."

"No! I will not calm down! That son of a bitch killed my family!" Mai cried.

"Mai, listen to me." Said Naru calmly. "He cupped Mai's cheek. "Listen, we're not sure whether Hideki-san actually did it or not. It's a possibility, but not proven. It may not be him, so until we find out, you can't let on that you're suspicious... Alright?"

Mai dropped her head. "...Okay..."

"Good. Come here." Naru pulled the girl into his arms.

She was very angry, and he knew that. Mai returned the embrace, glad to have a source of comfort...

Once everyone had woken up and had some breakfast, they all met up in the base. Just as Naru opened his mouth to speak, Yasuhara and Madoka came into the room.

Naru blinked. "Where have you two BEEN this entire time?"

"The library." Madoka replied cheerfully.

"You were supposed to come back when it closed. What did you do all damn night?" Naru questioned.

"We snuck back into the library after it closed." Said Yasuhara mysteriously.

"And did what?" Mai asked hesitantly.

"Research."

"We had only just managed to find something, when the library closed. It was some pretty strange information and we didn't want to wait... So we went in through a window."

Madoka sounded quite proud as she said this, and Naru resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.

"What did you find then?" He asked.

"Well, we didn't need to research the property, since I'd already done that. We read up on Hideki-san instead." Said Yasuhara.

Both he and Madoka suddenly looked serious. Everyone looked around at each other in confusion, since those two being serious at the same time was indeed a strange occurrence.

"There is no Hideki-san." Said Madoka.

"...What?"

"Kiyoshi Hideki-san doesn't exist." Said Yasuhara.

"Are you sure?" John asked.

Both nodded.

"There's no record of him at all." Said Madoka. "This house was bought thirteen years ago by someone named...Akira Yaoshima."

"Akira Yaoshima...?" Mai repeated quietly. She looked down, thinking.

"Mai?"

"I know that name." She said. "I've heard it before... I just don't remember where..."

"Try and remember." Said Naru. "It's important for us to find out."

Mai nodded. "I'll keep thinking."

No one commented on Naru's hint of kindness. They knew that for Mai to remember, she couldn't afford to be distracted. No one except Lin seemed to realize that Naru and Mai had hooked up. The Chinese man had actually witnessed the moment on the monitors...

Mai went to the kitchen by herself to make tea. She said she needed time alone to think. Naru agreed, though reluctantly. And after Mai had left the base, he basically ordered Lin to watch the girl on the monitors, making sure to inform him if anything happened...

Naru sat there, waiting impatiently. Mai was taking too long, much too long. He left the base, earning a smirk from Lin. Entering the kitchen, Naru spotted Mai standing there.

"Mai, what's taking you so long?"

The girl didn't respond. Naru moved closer. He noticed Mai's expression was oddly blank. Naru reached out, touching Mai's shoulder.

"Mai? Are you alright?"

Mai blinked, then glared at Naru.

"I don't like you." She declared.

Naru looked at her in confusion.

"I can't believe my little sister fell in love with a jerk like you..."

**And that's it for this bit...I know the chapters are short, especially this one, and I apologize for that...I try to make them long, but they always end up the same...Next part should be up soon...Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yo…I'm really sorry this chapter took so long…I have writer's block and it's really starting to affect me now…So, anyway, here's the next bit…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

It took Naru a moment to process what was going on, and Mai was still glaring at him. She was being possessed! He realized suddenly.

Mai walked out of the kitchen and into the base. Naru followed her and watched as she crossed over to an empty armchair and sat down with her arms folded across her chest. Everyone looked around at each other in confusion. Why did Mai look so angry?

She looked around at them one by one, judging their appearance.

"I don't like you either." Said Mai suddenly, now glaring at Masako.

"Excuse me?"

Mai glanced over everyone else again. "The rest of you are fine."

"And why do you not like Hara-san and myself?" Questioned Naru.

"You two are the only ones who fuck around with my sister." Said Mai.

"Wha-?"

"Mai-san has been possessed by the spirit of her older brother, Ryou-san." Masako explained.

The other barely had time to make sounds of surprise, before Naru began to question the boy.

"Why have you possessed the body of your younger sister?"

Using Mai's body and voice, Ryou turned to look at Naru and answered. "You're the smart one, why don't you tell me?

Naru blinked in surprise and Bou-san couldn't help but let out a laugh. Seeing the surprise on Naru's face, Ryou chuckled. Since it was Mai's voice though, the chuckle sounded a little strange.

"I may be dead, but I'm still older than you, kid." Said Ryou.

Masako felt it was time for her to explain why Ryou wasn't behaving like an eight year old.

"Though Ryou-san passed away as an eight year old child, his spirit has matured. It is almost as if he died at the age of twenty one…the age he would currently be, had he not died."

"Are you saying his spirit is that of a twenty one year old man?" Asked Naru.

"Yes."

"Despite the fact he was eight when he was killed?"

Masako nodded. "May-san is the same. Her spirit is that of a seventeen year old, even though she passed away when she was ten." The medium then looked at Naru. "Gene is also the same." She said. "Though he died when he was fifteen, he currently resembles an eighteen year old."

Naru said nothing, but Madoka and Ayako looked at Masako in confusion.

"Does this happen often?" Asked Madoka. "Sprits continuing to mature?"

Masako shook her head. "They usually remain the same. If you pass away when you're thirteen for example, your spirit will remain that of a thirteen year old forever."

"Ohh…I get it"

Ryou yawned pointedly. Naru glanced over. _Since he's older than me, I suppose I ought to show him some respect. Besides…he may be dead, but he's still Mai's brother…_

"I guess it's time for me to enlighten you." Said Ryou. "I'm bored anyway."

Naru snapped out of his thoughts and focused on Ryou…or Mai, technically.

"The man who own this house, Kiyoshi Hideki, is using a fake name. This, I believe you all know, right?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

"You also know that his real name is Akira Yaoshima?"

They nodded once again.

"Mai-san said she recognizes the name, but she can't remember." Said John.

"That makes sense." Said Ryou. "You don't usually remember things that happened when you were three."

"What do you mean?" Asked Lin.

There was a slight pause as if Ryou was hesitating, which they found strange considering his behavior thus far.

"Akira…is our father."

There was a silence.

"WHAT!"

"Wait…I thought he died the same day as you." Said Naru.

"The man who died alongside me was our stepfather." Said Ryou. "...Does Einstein with to be enlightened?" He added after catching the confused look on Naru's face.

_Damn, this guy really doesn't like Naru-bou, huh?_ Thought Bou-san in amusement.

"Oh, I'm simply dying to hear what you have to say." Said Naru sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah?"

The two went back and forth like this for a bit and the others couldn't help but watch. After all, it wasn't everyday that you got a chance to watch Naru behave like this. Lin had turned away from the monitors, and even Gene had manifested nearby to watch his twin brother's antics.

_Poor Mai-san,_ thought Yasuhara. _She's missing all the fun…_

And he was right. The possessed girl would have given anything to have been able to see her boyfriend/boss at this hilarious moment…

**And yeah…told you, writer's block…it ruins everything…*Sigh* Next bit will be up soon…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yo…my holiday present to you guys is an early chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

Once Ryou and Naru had had enough of jumping down each other's throats, Ryou decided to finally explain everything.

"Enough of this shit," he said. "Yeah, Akira, or Kiyoshi is our father. When I was seven, May and Mai three, our father left us. To this day, I still don't know why. A few months after, our mother got re-married. That's why our last names are Taniyama. Even though we weren't legal age to change our names, because of our situation we did so anyway," Ryou explained.

"So, Mai's name was Mai Yaoshima…?" asked Ayako attempting to confirm. "And after the second marriage it became Mai Taniyama?"

Ryou gave a nod. "And yes, it was Akira who killed our family. He killed both our step-father and myself when I was eight, and May and our mother a few years later. I'm not sure why, but I know it was him."

"Is that why you're here then?" asked Bou-san. "You're haunting Hide-no Akira, because he killed you?"

"Fuck yeah I am," said Ryou bitterly. "That bastard was our FATHER. He left us, so okaa-san married someone else. Then, he suddenly comes back and kills off the family? Of course I'm going to haunt him. Do you guys know how much trauma is locked up inside this girl? Inside Mai because of what happened?"

"What so you mean 'locked up'?" questioned Naru.

Ryou looked over at him. "After I died and before I came here, I watched over my little sisters. You don't know Mai like I do. When it comes to personal things, she'll never admit that she's upset. Instead, she'll lock it away and put on a smile. Mai's bright and cheerful and full of sunshine…but she's dying on the inside."

"Dying?" Masako repeated with a gasp.

Ryou rolled his…Mai's eyes. "I don't mean literally dying, y'know. I mean emotionally. She's beginning to reach her limit."

The team suddenly understood Mai's change in behaviour. It made sense if they thought about it now.

"What can we do to help her?" asked John.

"Not you," said Ryou to the priest. He looked at Naru once more. "You."

Naru blinked. "Me…?"

"Yeah, you," said Ryou in a voice that clearly said he couldn't believe what he was saying. "Mai chose you… She loves you, and cause of this, YOU need to be the one to get her to admit that's she's still hurting. Only you will be able to do that."

Though Naru didn't admit it, he was actually quite surprised to hear this. He had not expected it. However, he realized that he agreed.

"Now, if we go over to the reason why you're all actually here," said Ryou rousing everyone's attention. "The dark spirit that's here, I don't know who it is. It's not me and it's not May."

"Where is May-chan anyway?" asked Madoka. "We haven't seen her yet or anything."

"You won't be seeing May anytime soon," said Ryou.

"Why not?"

"She's shy."

"…What?"

"May's shy," Ryou repeated. "She never got along with strangers, and even though she's dead, it's still the same. May and Mai are complete opposites," he explained.

"Ohh…"

"So you absolutely have no idea who this dark entity is?" asked Naru.

Ryou shook his head saying that he didn't. "But it was already here when May and I arrived."

"What do you mean? When exactly did you come here?"

"About a month or so after May died," Ryou began. "The two of us came here together after we made sure Mai would be alright."

"She wasn't alright though," said Yasuhara. "She said her aunt and uncle did really bad things to her."

Ryou sighed. "I didn't know that they were going to do things like that. If I had, I would've haunted them instead… So anyway, yeah, the dark spirit was already here, and it seemed as if it had been around for a while. I think that might be why Akira did what he did."

"What are you talking about?" questioned Naru in faint confusion.

"Our father, Akira, was a really good person. He was the best father in the world. He played with me allot, and even allowed the twins to draw on his face with markers in public. He was just…the best," said Ryou.

"What happened to him then?" asked Ayako.

"Everything was fine until the day of the incident."

"What incident?" asked Bou-san.

"The incident where Akira…got possessed…"

**Yep…that's it for now…Happy Holidays guyz…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**

**PS. I'm currently working on an M-rated version of_ Candy Cane_, so if you've read it and are waiting…well, you're gonna have to wait a little more…It'll be up eventually…Sorry.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Yo…sorry guys. I know this chapter was supposed to be put up last weekend, but I was busy with my culminating and shit…and now I have exams coming up AND I have to pick my courses for next year today, and I have no idea which classes to pick…my school doesn't have that many good ones…Every time I mention to my mum that I have to pick them, she changes the subject, or ignores me…On top of all that, I STILL have writer's block…It's something that haunts me nonstop…It never goes away…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

"Possessed!"

"Hideki-sa- Akira-san got possessed?"

Ryou nodded. "It happened about a month before he left. I don't know how or why, but it changed everything."

"And you think this possession is the reason as to why he began to kill your family?" questioned Naru.

"Well, yeah. I mean, he was perfectly fine before that…"

"When exactly did he get possessed?" asked Naru, trying to remain patient. "By that I mean, was he at home when it happened, or at work?"

Ryou shrugged. "I have no idea. That day was totally normal…up until he came home, at least. When he came back, he was…yelling. He shouted allot, loudly too. Mai and May were crying because of it. They probably didn't understand what was going on… He was just…so angry."

"Is that all he did?" asked Bou-san. "Yell?"

"No… He became physical after a while. He…he started hurting us. All of us…but, mostly Mai…"

"Mai?"

"Yeah…Mai was injured so badly that she had to go to the hospital. She was in intensive care for nearly a week."

"What!"

"Are you saying that that man down the hall nearly killed Mai?" questioned Ayako in shock.

"Yes," said Ryou with a nod. "Mai being in the hospital is another reason why she doesn't know any of this… We decided not to tell her."

"Why not?" asked Madoka. "Wouldn't it have been better if she had known?"

Ryou looked over at her. "When we were told not to say anything, I wondered that too," he said. "Pretty soon though, our parents got divorced and our mother re-married. When we saw Mai then, we knew we couldn't say anything. She had changed so much. She was so sad… She put on a happy face for us all, but…" Ryou trailed off.

"Go back to when Akira-san was possessed," said Naru. "How did you all realize it?"

"The spirit told us," Ryou replied simply.

"It TOLD you…?" Yasuhara repeated in confusion.

"Yeah," said Ryou with a nod. "Mai was unconscious and naturally, we realized that something about our father was off. And then he spoke, saying that we were right and that our father wasn't himself right now. He said that he had taken our father's body over…that he had possessed him," he explained.

"Did he mention why?" asked John.

Ryou thought for a moment.

"I'll understand if you can't remember," said Naru politely. "This was year's ago, after all and you were only a child."

"Heh, so you DO have manners…good to know," said Ryou with a smirk.

Naru forced himself not to argue back and merely folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't exactly remember what was said," began Ryou slowly. "However, I recall him saying he had some sort of…grudge against Mai. He said he hated her…"

The team was quite confused. Mai had been, what three or four years old at the time. How could a toddler possibly have upset a spirit, to the point where it possessed the girl's father? Having him hurt her as well?

"How did the spirit leave, then?" asked Yasuhara.

"An exorcism," replied the dead man. "Our mother called a priest and he performed an exorcism."

"Did the spirit say why he hated Mai?" asked Bou-san.

"Nope. I'll leave that for you guys to figure out," said Ryou. "I'm sure you can do that much at least."

The team looked around at each other and nodded.

"With the information you just gave us, I'm sure we'll be able to find something out," said Yasuhara optimistically.

"Good," said Ryou. He then turned to look at the black clad young man. "I don't like you, not one bit. Though, that's probably because my little sister chose you." He approached Naru and continued. "My opinion doesn't matter much, though. I AM dead, after all. You piss my sister off allot, but she still loves you…and she'll do anything for you. I've seen that…but don't force her into anything…"

As Ryou spoke their boss, the rest of the team watched in serious silence. They all knew that this was not a joking matter.

"Don't make her cry, understand?"

Naru nodded. "I won't."

Ryou smiled and then left Mai's body, causing her to fall forwards. Naru caught hold of her. She was unconscious, as expected. Mai had been possessed for a long time. She was going to need quite a bit of rest…

**And that's it for now…Next chapter will most likely be a dream sequence…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Yo…sorry about the delay guys…I was really stressed out and couldn't think properly…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

_Mai awakened in darkness, only to see Gene looming over her._

"_What the-?" She sat up, nearly hitting him in the process. "Gene…?"_

_The boy smiled and helped Mai to her feet._

"_You suddenly appeared out of nowhere…it gave me a fright," said Gene._

"_Oh, sorry…but you know how I have no control over this," said Mai, laughing. That laughter however, died away abruptly as a thought struck the girl. "Wait…you mean you didn't bring me here?"_

_The dead boy shook his head. "Nope…that's why you scared me."_

_Mai was confused. "But then…how did I get here?"_

"_We brought you here," replied two voices at once._

_Mai and Gene looked around as a couple of figures emerged from the darkness. The brown haired girl's eyes widened in surprise._

"_Ryou-niichan, May…?" Her eyes began to fill with tears. Not having seen her siblings in a long time, Mai was becoming a little emotional._

_May came over to her and hugged her. Ryou did the same a moment later. Gene stood there, smiling sadly._

_After Mai had had her fill, she stepped back and spoke._

"_So, why did you guys bring me here?"_

"_When I possessed you, I told that boss of yours part of what's going on in this house," said Ryou. "Your past in involved, so when you wake up, I want you to tell him not to tell you anything until he feels it's okay to do it…understand?"_

_Mai nodded. "I get it but…why?"_

_Ryou and May exchanged a glance. Gene noticed the pained looks on both their faces._

"_Mai," he said, "Noll will tell you when he can. There's a reason your brother and sister aren't telling you…you need to wait."_

_Mai sighed. "Fine…I understand."_

"_We miss you, Mai," said May sadly._

"_I miss you guys too. I don't like living alone…"_

"_Mai, I want you to go back now," said Gene suddenly._

_Mai turned to look at him. "Why? How come I have to leave now? You usually keep me here longer."_

"_You were possessed for a long time, Mai. You need to rest and being here isn't helping you," explained the black clad boy._

"_Kay…I'm leaving…" The girl said goodbye to her siblings and Gene, before closing her eyes, leaving the Astral Plane and falling into a deep, but proper sleep._

It had been hours since Ryou had left Mai's body and the girl had passed out. Naru had laid the girl down on the bed in the room she shared with the monk. However, he had asked Bou-san to switch rooms with him. Lin now bunked with Bou-san, while Naru with Mai.

It was the middle of the night and Mai was still asleep. Naru sat on the bed next to her. A bedside lamp was on and he was reading a file. He looked over at Mai as she gave a soft sigh, turning onto her back. Naru was glad to see that Mai seemed relaxed now. During most of the time she had been asleep, she had been tense. She had even been crying in her sleep; he had wiped the tears away.

Naru's eyes began to itch with tiredness and he knew it was best for him to go to sleep as well. He put the file away, turned the lamp off and laid down. Mai turned, getting closer to him. Naru couldn't help it; he wrapped his arms around her, tucking her against his chest…

Mai woke up the next morning, feeling rather warm. She opened her eyes, only to find her face and inch or two away from Naru's chest.

_What the- what's he-? _Mai was totally confused. She blushed. _How'd he…end up in bed with me…wait, how did I get in bed…?_

There was a knock on the door.

"Mai, Naru, time to get up!" Ayako called. "Lin-san found something interesting on the footage from last night."

"Kay…we'll be out in a minute," Mai called back. She heard the miko's footsteps head back down the hallway. Naru hadn't even stirred and Mai detangled herself from him. "Naru, time to wake up," she said, shaking him slightly.

Naru groaned and snuggled deeper into the covers. Mai giggled.

"C'mon, Naru. Lin-san had something to show yo-!"

Before Mai could finish her sentence, Naru had grabbed hold of her wrists, his face mere inches away from her own.

"N-Naru…?"

**Yep…that's it for today…Next chapter should be up next week…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yo…here's the next messed up chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt of any of its characters…**

Naru didn't respond. Mai's eyes rose to his and the girl blinked. His eyes had a darker look in them than usual. The black haired boy lowered even more and pretty soon, his lips were pressed against Mai's.

She was a little surprised at the suddenness, but it only took her a moment to respond. She clutched at her boss and allowed him into her mouth.

Their tongues fought for dominance, and naturally Naru won, though Mai had been trying half heartedly. Naru's tongue ran along her own, stroking it.

"Mngh…"

Feeling faint, Mai shoved at Naru's chest, getting him to break the kiss so that she could get some air. He did so, but instead of fully pulling away, he moved down to her neck. Naru started nipping and Mai gasped.

"N-Naru!"

The teens however, didn't really get much farther than this because, at that moment, there was a bang on the door.

"Naru! Mai!" Ayako was back and this time, she seemed slightly annoyed. "If you two aren't in the base in the next fifte-no, ten minutes, I'm going to get Bou-san to kick this damn door down!"

"O-okay!"

The miko stormed away and Mai looked up at Naru. He pulled away from her and sat up, running his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

"Time for work?" Mai questioned with a smile.

Naru gave a nod. "But I'll be continuing this later, understand?" he said with a nip to her lip.

Mai couldn't help but blush at Naru's tone of voice, but she got out of bed, forced her boss to turn around, warned him not to peek and began to change her clothes. He listened reluctantly, however decided that he ought to change as well.

"Oh yeah, Naru?"

"Hm?"

"I had a dream last night," said Mai. She then told Naru what Ryou had told her.

"I see," said Naru, once the girl had finished. "He's your brother, so I'll respect his wishes, but you'll have to be told one day…"

"Nii-chan said that this case has something to do with my past," said Mai slowly as she pulled her shirt on over her head. "But…I don't remember anything…"

"There's a reason for that," said Naru after a pause.

"Mai huffed. "I wish I could know now…"

Nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds later, the young couple strolled into the base, where they were met with amused looks from everyone except Masako, who was glaring. Naru ignored the others and made his way over to Lin, who was at his usual spot in front of the monitors.

"Matsuzaki-san said you found something?"

Lin nodded and began typing.

"Mai, tea…toast would be good too," said Naru, glancing over his shoulder.

Feeling too lazy to argue, Mai simply agreed.

"Someone go with her," was suddenly added.

"I'll go," said John.

Naru nodded and Mai thanked him. She left the room with the priest and headed over to the kitchen.

"How are you feeling, Mai-san?"

"I'm fine," the girl replied with a smile. After a moment she said, "In my dream, nii-chan said he talked to you guys?"

"He did," said John.

"I hope he gave you guys some information that could help…"

John smiled. "Madoka-san and Yasuhara-san are doing some research as we speak. You're brother told us some interesting things."

"That's good… I hope he wasn't too rude."

"…Just to Shibuya-san and Hara-san…"

Once they were back in the base, Mai handed Naru his tea and toast.

"So, what's this interesting thing that Ayako mentioned?" she asked.

Naru pointed at one of the monitors and she looked over at it. Mai saw herself in bed. She was alone in the room and asleep. A strange mist started to form at the foot of the bed. After a few moments of this, a translucent figure was standing there, simply staring at the sleeping Mai. The figure, which was that of a young man, turned around and walked towards the camera, clearly knowing what it was.

"Revenge!" he yelled at it, eyes full of fury.

Mai suddenly gave a cry of pain. She fell to her knees, clutching her head, memories flooding her mind.

"…Shin-niichan…!" she gasped.

**That's all for this week…*bangs head on wall* I still don't even know what I'm doing…but as long as you guys like it, it doesn't matter…Looking forward to reviews!**

**Also, I'm working on a new GH fic called_ Stalker_…first chapter should be up soon, so check it out if you want…Laterz!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Yo…I'm reaaally sorry! I know this was supposed to be updated nearly three weeks ago, but my writer's block became even worse…**

**Ps. I finally reached 100 reviews! Thanks guys! You all rock! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

Mai was seated on the couch with Ayako looming over her. After viewing the footage of the figure caught the previous night, the brown haired girl had become dis-respondent. When Naru noticed this, he had the miko/doctor check over her.

Ayako, who had been shining a small light into Mai's eyes, straightened up with a sigh. Naru stepped forward immediately. The woman knew he was waiting for an explanation of some kind, so she began to speak not only to Naru, but to the room at large.

"Before you ask, no she isn't possessed," said Ayako.

"Well, it sure seems like it," muttered Bou-san.

"If it isn't possession, then what's wrong with her?"

"She's recalling a memory," said Ayako.

"Recalling a memory?" repeated John in confusion.

"Yes," said the redheaded woman. "Well, I think so…" She then indicated that they all look at Mai. "Do you see her eyes? They're unfocused and glazed over…as if she's seeing something we can't."

"And on that basis, you conclude she's seeing memories?" questioned Naru.

Ayako nodded. "Yes. Mai reacted to that footage. 'Shin-niichan,' is what she said. I mean, I'm not sure why, but it clearly triggered something."

There was a silence. They knew there wasn't anything that could be done for Mai, except for her to snap back to reality on her own. The others began to talk quietly and Naru began pondering the case.

_Kiyoshi Hideki is actually Akira Yaoshima, who is Mai's real father. _

_He got possessed by a dark entity and became violent towards the family. The exorcism succeeded, but he was no longer the same._

_He and Mai's mother divorced soon after and he came here._

_A year or so later, he goes and kills Mai's step-father and older brother Ryou. Six years later, he returns and kills Mai's mother and twin sister May. About three years before the death of the mother and sister, Akira also killed Mai's uncle Suzaku._

_Gene told Mai that Suzaku is the dark entity in this home…but according to Ryou's spirit, the dark entity was here before he showed up. That…wasn't possible though, because Suzaku died AFTER Ryou… _

_According to the footage from the previous night, there was a different dark entity. One Mai had called 'Shin-niichan'. _

_Did that mean that there were TWO dark spirits haunting this house? Both Suzaku AND Shin?_

_One of them was attacking Mai. That much, he knew since after the incident with the knife, Bou-san had said that there seemed to be something trying to stop the evil spirit from hurting Mai._

_Both spirits seemed to want revenge, as they had both yelled it. Suzaku, in the kitchen the other day, and Shin in the bedroom the previous night._

_Both entities were dark, no doubt about that, but…which one was the one hurting Mai? And just who was this 'Shin'?_

"Shin-niichan!" Mai cried out suddenly, her voice anguished, eyes full of tears.

Naru snapped back to reality as Mai buried her face into her hands and broke down crying. Everyone looked at the girl in alarm. None of them had ever seen Mai cry like that before. Naru reacted unconsciously. He went over and pulled the girl into his arms, cradling her head to his chest.

"Mai…what's wrong?" he asked.

The entire room was silent, except for Mai's sobbing. Now was not the moment to mock Naru and his tenderness. Not when Mai was crying like that.

Madoka and Yasuhara who had been at the library this entire time, suddenly walked into the room. Both of them stopped dead when they noticed Naru and Mai.

"Is…everything…okay…?" questioned the two in unison.

"Mai…talk to me," said Naru quietly. "Tell us what's wrong."

But the girl simply shook her head and continued on crying. Naru couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand to hear those anguished cries any longer. Each one of them went through him like a knife, causing him physical pain.

He got to his feet and pulled Mai up into his arms, carrying her out of the base. He took her to their room and gently laid her down on the bed. He knew he had needed to get her away from the others, which was why he had brought her here.

Naru sat down on the edge of the mattress and ran his fingers through Mai's hair.

"Please Mai…please stop crying…I can't…"

Mai couldn't help but stop crying there. Naru's voice had sounded so pained. She forced herself to sit up and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Naru…?"

The young man, whose head had been bowed, suddenly looked up and was surprised to see a small smile on Mai's face.

"Wow, you must be sick, Naru," she said in faint amusement. She was completely oblivious to what her boss was really feeling. "I've never heard you plead before."

Mai's head hit the headboard behind her as Naru's lips crashed onto hers in a desperate kiss.

**Yeah…that's all for this week…I decided to repeat some of the information cause I figured some of you may have forgotten it…I know I did…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Yo…chapter's nearly a week late…*sigh* I'm giving up on trying to get rid of my writer's block…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…I own the other random ones though...**

Mai had the wind knocked out of her by this kiss. She was left breathless in a matter of seconds. She pushed at Naru's chest, trying to break them apart so that she could get some air in those lungs of hers, but the teen refused to stop the kiss. Instead, Naru wrapped an arm around Mai's small waist, pulling her even closer to him, deepening the kiss further and allowing a hand to roam over her body boldly...

They broke apart just as Mai began to feel faint. Opening her eyes to look at Naru, she was slightly surprised to see that he too was panting.

"Wow…" she said, once she had caught her breath.

"Wow what?"

"I've…never had a kiss like that before," she replied in a mumble. "It was…nice…" She blushed.

Naru smirked. "There's plenty more where that came from."

The brown haired girl punched him. Despite the whole kiss thing, now was not the moment to test her. She couldn't handle it just yet.

Naru, who was now holding both of Mai's hands, (he had been blocking her punches) noticed how his beloved cinnamon eyes had darkened.

"Mai…?" He paused. "…Who's Shin…?"

Mai looked up at him, wondering whether she should tell him or not. After all, explaining about Shin was going to be rather difficult. She wasn't sure she'd be able to do it…

"Shin-niichan is…he's my brother…" said Mai after a moment.

"Your brother?" Naru repeated in confusion. "I thought Ryou was your only brother…no one ever mentioned Shin."

"I know," said Mai with a nod. "We never really talked about Shin-niichan after he died. I mean, I know it's harsh, but no one could bear to mention what had happened…especially not in front of me…"

The black haired teen was even more confused now. However, he saw that look on Mai's face once more. That sad, anguished look that he didn't like.

"Mai. You have to tell me," he said. "This case will never be solved if you don't say anything. Do you want to be stuck here forever?"

"No…but I…" She took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts. "Okay…okay… See, when I was four, a few months before otou-san and Ryou-niichan was killed, I…"

"You're kidding," said Bou-san. "You've gotta be kidding me…!"

"Unfortunately, no," Madoka sighed sadly.

The two of them were sitting in the base along with Ayako, John, Lin, Masako and Yasuhara. Naru and Mai were still in their room and Madoka and Yasuhara had begun discussing what they had uncovered.

"No…that can't be right…!" said Ayako, shaking her head in disbelief.

The group was in utter shock. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. And yes, that included both Lin and Masako as well.

Bou-san leant over and grabbed the papers out of Yasuhara's hands, intent on seeing the information with his own eyes.

"Read it," said John. "Out loud. I want to hear it again…just in case…"

The monk complied and began to read.

" 'October 31, 199X, four year old Mai Taniyama, formerly known as Mai Yaoshima, was kidnapped from in front of her own home as she played outside with her twin sister May and older brother Ryou (8).

The young boy claimed that he and his two sisters had been playing hide-and-seek, a game they played quite often. It was Mai's turn to be 'it' when she was snatched right from the yard.

Witnesses claimed they had seen a teenage boy lurking nearby around the same time as the kidnap.

Suspicion then fell upon Shin Konata (16) who was Mai, May and Ryou's older adoptive brother. Mr. Taniyama had taken him in approximately three months before he married the mother of the three young children.

Detectives investigating the case thought that Shin had perhaps done it for attention or money, jealous that he now had to deal with three new siblings, even if they weren't related by blood.

Shin was brought in for questioning when an alibi couldn't be determined.

The teen refused to cooperate with police. He claimed he had done nothing and that the police should stop wasting their time on him and focus on finding his sister instead.

When he continued to be suspected, Shin did his own private investigation. He managed to track down the kidnapper and headed to the location alone, intent on rescuing his sister himself.

He left the building with Mai, but was shot and killed as they made their escape. Mai encountered the police as she tried to run, which Shin had told her to do.

After seeing that they had killed someone, the kidnapper ran away and was never identified'."

Bou-san concluded his reading and lowered the report…

Naru sat there, staring at Mai in shock.

"That really happened…?"

Mai nodded slowly and sadly.

"Nii-chan was shot twice in the chest…he fell down and…there was blood everywhere…I was so scared…I was only four…Nii-chan told me to run… They blamed him…and he saved my life… Shin-niichan died for me…"

She bowed her head, tears streaming down her beautiful, pale face once more.

**That's all for this week…In case you didn't notice, Mai and Naru weren't in the room when Bou-san was reading the report. Mai told Naru basically the same thing though, as they were in their room alone… Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Yo...here we go...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...just the random ones...**

Naru didn't hesitate. He immediately pulled Mai into his arms. She cried quietly, tears staining his shirt...not that they were visible on the black. Naru was speechless. He had no idea what to think, let alone what to say. Mai had just been through so much tragedy in her life and he had never even realized it. She had faced death countless times, many more than he had expected. May more then he had liked. How had she handled it? He looked down at the brown haired figure in his arms. How did she still manage to smile...?

After a few minutes, Mai began to calm down. Every horrible moment she had experienced had passed through her mind as she cried. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to see it. Working at SPR had changed her life. She loved it there and was truly happy...even during dangerous cases and dealing with Naru's tea addiction.

_This doesn't make sense then_, thought Naru. _Suzaku and Shin were supposed to be the dark entities here. If Akira/Kiyoshi really did kill Suzaku, then that part made sense...but then...why was Shin here? There's no logic in his being here...unless Akira is the one who kidnapped Mai and killed him, Shin. He certainly is capable of it... But...neither of them can be the one hurting Mai... Then...are there THREE dark spirits in this house? What the bloody fuck is going on in this place!_

"Naru...? Are you okay?"

The teen looked up, right into Mai's concern filled brown eyes. He couldn't tell her anything. Not yet. She wasn't ready to hear it...and he couldn't stand to see her upset... Instead, he leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, watching the worry ebb out of her beautiful eyes as they parted.

"I'm fine, Mai," he lied. "Don't worry..."

Before Mai could question it, there was a knock on their door.

"Come in," said Naru, shifting his grip on Mai.

Lin appeared at the doorway. He didn't really react to Naru holding Mai to his chest, he just spoke in his calming, deep voice.

"Madoka and Yasuhara-san found some information that could be relevant to this case."

"If it's about Shin-san, then I already-"

"It's about someone named Jack Midnight," said Lin, cutting Naru off.

Naru and Mai both blinked in surprise at the name. Being British, Naru was used to hearing names such as this, but they were in Japan, so it was a little strange...

"Alright, we'll be there in a minute," replied the boy.

Lin nodded and walked off, closing the door behind him and returning to the base.

"Mai? Does the name Jack Midnight sound familiar to you?"

Mai lowered her head in thought, hands still resting on Naru's chest.

"I don't know," she said finally. "I don't really remember..."

_If Jack was the one who possessed Akira all those years ago...Mai was little...she wouldn't remember much... She may know him and she may not..._

Naru stood up, but kept a hold on Mai's hand, bringing her with him.

"Come on, let's go... I want some tea first though."

Mai smiled. "Okay..."

They headed down the hall towards the stairs and were just about to start their descent, when Mai felt something shove her from behind. She stumbled forward and was just about to fall down the long flight of stairs, when she felt a much gentler hand on her chest push her back, so that she hit Naru, who grabbed her immediately.

"Holy crap...!" Mai gasped.

She definitely hadn't seen that coming and it had surprised her greatly. When she looked at Naru however, she was surprised to see that he seemed totally unfazed.

"...Did you just try to push me down the stairs!"

Naru's eyes widened in alarm.

"Why the bloody hell would I do that!"

Mai looked at him, right in the eyes. He didn't seem to be possessed or lying. She gave a sigh.

"Sorry, it's just..."

The two stood there, at the top of the stairs and Mai recounted what had just happened. Naru was shocked. If Mai hadn't been pushed back into him, she would've fallen all the way down the stairs, most likely breaking her neck along the way.

"Idiot," said a deep, yet gentle voice in Naru's ear. "You're supposed to protect my sister..."

The area around them had gone cold and a breeze ruffled Mai's hair, almost as if it was being stroked.

Mai smiled and turned around. There was a dark figure standing there. One of the dark entities that was haunting Akira and the home.

Mai didn't seem scared at all though.

"Shin-niichan...you saved me again," she said softly.

Naru looked from Mai to the dark figure. It was so obviously one of the evil ones, but as Naru stared, there was a flicker of light and a good looking young man was briefly seen in the place of the dark entity. But then he blinked and it was dark once more.

Shin wasn't evil at all. He was just angry. Angry at the man who had kidnapped his sister. Angry at the man who had killed him. He wasn't angry at Akira though. He was angry at Jack. He was a spirit, who was haunting another spirit. He was haunting Jack Midnight.

**That's all for this week...I actually updated on time!...Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Yo...I was gonna put this up a little earlier, but I wasn't able to...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

Naru was stunned by this revelation. A spirit haunting a spirit? Was that even possible?

He and Mai headed down to the kitchen, so that the girl could make some tea. Mai had a small, sad smile on her face, most likely because of the encounter they had just had with Shin.

As she set the water to boil, Naru spoke.

"Mai? You and Shin-san were close?"

Mai sat down on the counter next to the stove, before giving a nod.

"He was adopted though, wasn't he? Ah, well he came with your step-father, didn't he?"

"Yeah...Shin-niichan had only been there for a little while when that...incident happened...but we loved him allot."

"Yeah?"

"Hm... He was sixteen right? And I was only four...he was just...so cool, you know? People who knew he had been adopted wondered how he'd handle moving in with us suddenly. I mean...there were three kids to deal with now...but he didn't seem to mind."

"He didn't?" Naru was standing in front of Mai, allowing the girl to play with the buttons on his shirt as she spoke. He smiled slightly as she tugged on one of them absentmindedly.

"Nii-chan was in the orphanage for a long time, so he was used to being around kids. That's why he was great when dealing with the three of us."

Naru of course knew what living in an orphanage felt like, but he had been quite young at the time. Besides, he had constantly been at Gene's side. Being twins, they had been very hard to separate.

"How long was he in the orphanage for?" asked Naru curiously.

"He was born there," replied Mai.

"What...?" said Naru, blinking in surprise. "Shin-san was...born in an orphanage...?"

"Uh huh. He was adopted on his sixteenth birthday," replied Mai, giving Naru's buttons one final tug before turning the stove off and continuing the making of the tea.

_So they were quite close then_, thought Naru. _That explains what just happened up stairs... Why is Shin haunting the spirit of Jack though... And who exactly IS Jack anyway?_

Naru didn't have to wait too long for an answer.

The entire group was seated in the base a few minutes later, all of them sipping tea.

"So, anyway Noll," began Madoka. "Yasuhara-kun and I found some information about a man named Jack Midnight. We think he may have something to do with this case."

"What is it?" questioned Naru.

Yasuhara opened his notebook, pushed his glasses back up his face and began.

"Jack Midnight came here from Canada at the age of eighteen..."

"Did he come here by himself?" interrupted Bou-san.

"Yes."

"Wait, but he was still in high school, wasn't he? He was still only a teenager..."

"Actually," said John. "In Canada, you finish high school when you're eighteen and that is also the age when you are legally considered an adult."

"How do you know that?" asked Mai curiously. "I thought you were Australian?"

"I am, but I've been to Canada a couple of times," replied the priest.

"Anyway," said Yasuhara. "Jack died at the age of twenty five. He used to live in Taniyama-san's home...for about five years, actually."

Mai blinked. "He used to live there? Wait...which house? The one before otou-san and Ryou-niichan died, or the other one?"

"The first one," said Madoka.

Mai gave a nod and indicated that Yasuhara continue. The teen complied.

"Taniyama-san, you and May-san were three the year he died. And he lived in the house until then."

Catching the confused look on Mai's face, Madoka added, "Yes, you guys lived there at the same time."

Naru looked at his brown haired assistant, whose brow furrowed in concentration. It seemed she was attempting to recall something.

"How did he die?" asked Ayako. Being a doctor, asking something like that was second nature for her.

"Jack's death is listed as unexplained," said Madoka.

"There...was this...guy," said Mai suddenly.

Everyone looked at her. She didn't react to them, but her face was still screwed up in an effort to remember some sort of memory.

"Mai?"

"He...used to play with Ryou-niichan...and May."

"Not with you?"

"No...I didn't like him..."

"Why not?"

They were trying to get as much information out of Mai as possible, while she was remembering all this.

"He...used to scare me...and then I...took the blame..."

"For what?"

Mai's head cocked to the side in confusion, as if her own memory was confusing her.

"May...killed him..."

**That's all for this week...next one should be up week after next...Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Yo…I'm sorry, I was meant to put this up a couple of days ago, but I didn't finish writing it until earlier today…Anyway, thankz to everyone who has reviewed so far! I'm finally at chapter twenty, so I thought I'd say it, just so you all know I appreciate this…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

There was a moments silence.

"May-san…killed Jack…?" repeated John after a moment.

Mai gave a sad nod, but still looked a little confused, which everyone else in the room was too.

"Since we were only three at the time…I don't remember everything…"

"What do you remember, then?" asked Bou-san.

"May and I…were alone with Jack… We were playing catch…and the ball went too far…"

"So you went to get it?" suggested Yasuhara.

"Hmm… And when I got back…"

"Jack was dead," said Ayako.

Mai gave another nod. "May was…really scared… She started crying…saying she didn't know what had happened… And then our parents came in… They saw that Jack was dead…and they asked us what happened and who did it…" Mai paused for a moment, as she tried to remember. "May was just…crying so much so…so I…"

"So you told your parents you did it," Naru finished.

"Yes," said Mai. Her eyes slipped closed and a couple of tears slid down her pale cheeks.

The room was silent once more as the team tried to digest the information they had just been told. It just seemed so impossible. Everything that had happened to Mai. Everything she had concealed from them all for nearly two years…

Despite the surprise Naru was in, he now had a pretty good idea of what was going on in this home. All he needed to do was connect all the pieces together. He wasn't sure if he knew everything, but was positive he had figured out most of it.

_There are five spirits in this home_, thought Naru. _Jack, Suzaku, Shin, Ryou and May. Three of them are dark, Jack, Suzaku and Shin, while the other two aren't, Ryou and May. All five have some sort of reason to be here, in Akira's home. And all five of them have a connection with Mai…actually, most of what's happening in this place revolves around Mai…_

_Alright_, he thought. _Let me run this through._

_While it was still the Yaoshima family, Ryou was seven, the twins were three, Jack was twenty five and he lived with them and was accidently killed by May, possibly by psychic powers. Since Mai had them, May could as well._

_Mai took the blame to protect her twin, which is completely understandable, and Jack's spirit was most likely listening to this, which was why he began targeting Mai._

_About a year later, Jack's spirit possesses Akira, the father, who hurts the family, landing Mai in the ICU, which is why she doesn't really remember much from the time._

_The parents soon got divorced and the mother remarries and the family becomes the Taniyama family. Ryou was eight, the twins four and Shin Konata was sixteen._

_Shin was adopted by Taniyama-san, the step-father._

_Mai got kidnapped a few months later, by someone who was_ most likely_ possessed by Jack. Shin goes to get her and gets shot and killed in the process._

_Shin's spirit began haunting Jack's spirit, who was haunting Akira._

_Another few months later, Akira was once again possessed by Jack. He killed the step-father and Ryou, who was eight._

_Three years later Akira killed Suzaku, who is the step-father's older brother. I'm not sure if he was possessed or not._

_Suzaku's spirit began to haunt Akira._

_Another three years later, Jack possesses Akira again. Akira kills his ex-wife, who is the mother, along with May, who was ten._

_Mai was at school when this happened and therefor, was not a victim._

_Ryou and May then began to haunt Akira, who had already changed his name to Kiyoshi Hideki. I'm not sure why he changed his name._

Naru sighed. This was quite a bit of information to run over, but they were mostly facts with a bit of speculation. He needed to find out how much of this was right, and whether the bits he was speculating were correct or not. To do this however, he'd need to speak to Mai.

He looked over at his young assistant, who was sitting with Bou-san, John and Yasuhara, laughing and talking cheerfully.

He didn't want her to be sad, but he HAD to tell her. How was she going to take it though? Was she going to cry? She would...he knew she would.

"Mai."

She glanced over at him. "Yes?"

"…Come with me."

Mai looked a little taken aback at the bluntness, but nodded all the same. She pried herself off the couch and got to her feet. She met Naru at the door and the two left the base together. He led her to the kitchen first.

"Can you make some tea first?"

"Um…alright…"

Naru wanted to delay this news for as long as possible, even if it was only going to be for a few minutes. How was Mai going to react when she found out that their client was her biological father who had killed her family…?

**That's it for this week…This chapter was an informative one, so I'm sorry if it wasn't that good…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Yo...here's the next chapter...oh, and no, I won't be repeating all the information here...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

As the water boiled, the two took up their usual kitchen positions. Mai was seated on the counter with Naru standing in front of her.

"What's wrong?" asked Mai.

Naru looked at her, right into her beautiful brown eyes. He sighed softly, fingers coming to gently caress her cheek.

"I need to tell you everything Mai," he said. "About your family and what happened when you were little, what's happening now and how it's all connected."

"Really?"

"Yes... You're not going to like hearing allot if it, but you have to know."

Mai didn't answer right away. Instead, she leaned in and lightly pressed her lips to Naru's, kissing him softly.

"It's alright, Naru..." she said, pulling away. "I don't care how bad it is...I want to know."

"You brave, brave girl," Naru said in a voice barely above a whisper.

His lips descended upon Mai's and their kiss resumed. Hands roamed, tongues clashed, but the kettle went off before they got any further.

_We really have to stop doing this in the kitchen_, they thought in unison. _That damn kettle must have a mind of its own or something._

Pretty soon, the teens were in their room, both sitting on the bed. They sat there in silence while Naru sipped his tea. Mai had taken Naru's notebook (with permission, of course) and was now trying to decipher the scribbles within, while her boss merely gazed at her, a faint smile on his face.

Once he had finished the tea, he placed the cup on the side table, pulled Mai onto his lap and leaned back against the headboard. Then, he gave a sigh and began to speak.

"Mai...do you know that the man who died alongside your brother Ryou, was your step-father?"

"...Yes."

"Alright, do you remember your biological father at all?"

Mai shook her head. "Not really..."

"You said the name 'Akira Yaoshima' sounded familiar, right?"

"Un..."

Naru hesitated for a brief moment. "...You recognize it because it is the name of your father. Yaoshima is your true last name."

"But...isn't that the name of our client...?"

"Yes Mai, it is..."

"Then...our _client _is my _father_...?"

"Yes," said Naru. "Kiyoshi Hideki, whose real name is Akira Yaoshima, our client in this case, is your father."

"But...Naru, before, you said that our client may have killed my family," said Mai slowly, her hands pressed to her bosses chest so that she could look at his face. "If he's my dad, then...does that still stand?"

"It does," replied the boy. "In fact, we now know it to be true."

"True...?"

Naru shifted Mai in his lap so that she was facing him, legs on either of his sides. Mai blushed a little at the fact that she was basically straddling Naru, but the feeling didn't last very long, for Naru began to speak once more. Now, he told her about the spirits in the house, why they were there, some things about her past and everything he had deduced earlier. Mai didn't speak the entire time, she simply sat there, listening carefully and quietly.

After what felt like forever, Naru finally finished.

"So...basically what happened and is currently happening is...my fault...?" said Mai, her voice a little hoarse. "Me taking the blame for what May did...that's what started everything!"

Naru wasn't really sure how to respond to this. Technically, Mai was right. If she hadn't taken the blame to protect her sister, then none of this would have happened. Or would it? Jack would have gone after May then and who knows how things would've changed that way. If that happened, would Mai even be alive and in his arms right now?

Not even wanting to thing this, Naru pulled Mai right up to his, embracing her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Mai..."

And just as he had expected, Mai began to cry. Her fingers tangled into his shirt as she quietly sobbed. Hearing all this had been so overwhelming that the girl just couldn't help but react this way. Naru didn't say anything. He just held her, waiting for her to stop on her own, pretending that he wasn't in pain at the moment. Mai sad or crying always seemed to do that to him.

Finally, a few minutes later, Mai pulled away slightly and wiped her eyes.

"Sorry, Naru," she mumbled.

Her boss leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Mai," he said.

She gave him a small smile, but then said, "Where is he?"

Naru didn't need to ask who she was talking about. There was only one person she'd be asking about right now.

"Downstairs in his office."

"Do you think I can..." Mai began hesitantly.

"As long as you don't tell him anything," replied Naru. "You can't let him know. Not yet."

"Okay..."

"Oh, and don't hurt him," added the young man as an afterthought.

The corners of Mai's lips tugged upwards into a smile.

"Aww. I can't?"

"No."

"Hmph...fine."

**And that's all for this week...Sorry if it sounds a little rushed, I really wanna watch _'Over The Limit'_...Anyway, looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Yo…here we go…again…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

Naru led his girlfriend to their client's office, fingers twined together as they walked.

"We're here, Mai," he said, once they had approached the door. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders.

"Yes," said Mai, "I need to. I mean, I know you said I can't exactly tell him, but…can't I sort of…hint towards it?"

Naru thought for a moment. Hinting didn't seem to be a bad idea. They couldn't, of course, let Akira know they were on to him, but giving vague clues about it may cause some interesting reactions.

"Alright, Mai…" said the young man, finally breaking the anticipating silence, "but _hints_ only, understand?"

"Yes, boss!"

Naru shook his head in exasperation, but gave it away by chuckling lightly. He then pressed a soft kiss to Mai's lips before knocking on the door and entering. He and Mai stepped inside and saw Akira sitting behind a desk that was nearly completely covered in papers.

"Oh, hello," said Akira looking up at them. "What can I do for you?"

Mai froze, staring at the man in front of her and Naru decided to take the initiative.

"We just needed to see the camera we set up," he said. "I just have to double check the angle and see whether the tape needs replacing or not."

"I see, go ahead."

Giving Mai's shoulder a brief squeeze, Naru moved off to the corner of the room, leaving the girl standing there alone. Mai wondered what she could possibly say to the man seated at the desk. What in the world could she say to her father…her _real _father.

"A-Kiyoshi-san?"

Akira looked up at Mai, who had to mask her surprise. Akira's eyes, both the colour and the shape were exactly the same as her own. She hadn't noticed it before because she hadn't been paying attention, but now, it was hard not to notice.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind me asking something?"

"Not at all."

"Do you…not have a family?" asked Mai hesitantly. "You know, a wife…and kids?"

Akira looked at Mai with interest. "You're a curious young lady, aren't you?"

Relieved by the fact that he didn't seem angry, Mai smiled, which, in turn, caused Akira to frown.

"Is something wrong?" asked Mai.

"No…it's nothing," replied Akira. "Your smile just reminded me of someone…well, two someone's, that's all."

"May I ask who?"

"My…daughters," said Akira after a pause. "They were twins."

"Oh, I-I see…"

"And before you ask, no, I don't know what happened to them… They've already passed away along with my ex-wife."

"Ex?" asked Mai, feigning surprise.

"…Yes. We divorced a long time ago…"

"I-I'm sorry about that. About all of it," said Mai sincerely.

Akira smiled slightly, but then said, "I wonder how they all died. My wife…son…girls…"

Mai blinked in surprise and exchanged a glance with Naru, who was still standing by the camera, pretending that he wasn't listening.

"You mean, you don't remem-I mean, know?"

The man shook his head. "I have no clue how it happened."

"That must be hard…"

"It is," said Akira. "Very hard. My son was only eight when he died and the girls were both ten when they passed a few years later. I…wish I'd been able to see them one last time… I wish I could tell them that I loved them…that I _still_ love them…"

_Oh god_, thought the girl... _Otou-san..._

Mai gave a soft dry sob, catching Naru's attention. It was time to get out of there, before this went too far and gave them away.

"Thank you, Kiyoshi-san," said Naru. "We'll be heading back to the base now."

"Of course…"

"Mai…come on."

Taking his assistant's hand, Naru led the girl out of the office, ignoring the sad look on Akira's face that was triggered by Mai's name. They walked down the hallway and around the corner, stopping when they knew they were still hidden from view.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Mai nodded, wiping her eyes. "That was kinda hard."

"I can imagine…"

"But…" Mai looked up at him. "Akira-san…otou-san…said that he doesn't know what happened. So, does that mean that he doesn't know he got possessed and killed them all?" she asked, referring to her family.

Naru let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, before glancing around to ensure they were alone.

"People don't normally remember getting possessed in the first place and they have no idea what they did during that time. Do you recall the time we aided at the church during Christmas? You were possessed by Kenji-kun for most of the time, but you had no idea what you had done until we told you, right?"

Mai nodded. "So then…what're we going to do?"

"I don't know yet," said Naru. "I'll have to see."

Placing a hand on the small of her back, Naru led Mai back to the base in contemplative silence.

**That's all for now…Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Yo…once AGAIN, I apologize for the delay. I had culminating and exams…in fact, I have an exam in about…and hour for Law and I'm sick too, so I hope I can make it to school without passing out… Anyway, nothing major happens in this chapter, there was just a loose end I needed to tie up with one of the characters I never remember to mention…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

The rest of the day went by rather silently, by both the team and the spirits. After Mai and Naru had returned to the base, the others had asked them what they had been doing and after some hesitating from Mai's part, she told them about the conversation she had just had with Akira…with her father.

"Ack!"

Bou-san had enveloped Mai into such a tight hug, that the girl thought she may have broken a rib or two.

"I think you're hurting her, Takigawa-san," said John, who seemed to have noticed Mai's pain.

The monk realized what he was doing and loosened his grip.

A few minutes after that, they had all fallen into silence, thinking about how they could progress this case.

Now the team _had_ a reason to remain silent, but it was odd that _all_ five spirits were doing the same. Normally one would be rather happy about that. Mai wasn't though. She didn't like it one bit. She felt as if…as if something was going to happen. Something bad.

And she was right.

But before I can tell you that story, I have to tell you _this_ story.

"Where's Masako?"

Everyone looked over at Mai, who had been so caught up in everything, that she hadn't noticed that the medium wasn't around much.

"She hasn't been feeling very well," replied Ayako. "There's so many spirits and the negativity of some of them is reacting with her health." Turning to Naru, she said, "I still think you should send her home, Naru. It isn't doing her any good to be staying here. Besides, she isn't doing anything anyways."

"I agree," said John, his passive face taking a look of slight concern. "Hara-san can't help us much if she must remain in bed all the time, as Matsuzaki-san said she must."

Naru contemplated this for a moment. "Very well," he finally said.

He looked over at Lin, who gave him a nod, got to his feet and left the room. Within minutes he was back, except Masako was with him, holding her stuff. She spoke to Naru for a moment and then began to leave, ignoring everyone else's polite "goodbye" 's, and "take care" 's and "feel better" 's.

With Lin now gone as well, the base grew even more silent. His constant, yet somehow comforting typing had now stopped and the room they were in began to feel heavy. It was usually Mai's laughter that made places feel light and cheery, but right now, the girl was simply sitting there silently, a glazed look in her eyes that told him that she wasn't _really _there with them at all.

And they were right. Even though Mai was with them physically, she was nowhere near them mentally. Her mind was focused on the past. She was trying to recall what had happened while Akira was still there and before Jack had died. So far though, she couldn't really remember much, just brief flashes. She knew it would be difficult to remember things that had occurred while she had been three or four years old, but Mai was frustrated nonetheless.

The girl eventually snapped out of her stupor and was immediately dragged off to the kitchen by Ayako to help her make something for them all to eat for dinner.

"So, how are things going between you and Naru?" asked the red haired woman.

Mai shrugged. "Alright," I guess. We haven't…really done much yet, cause of the case and all…"

Ayako nodded in understanding. "It wasn't just because they were on the case, but also because of how personal and emotional it was for Mai. There had been so much going on, so much for them to absorb."

"The two of you have been sharing a bed and you still haven't done anything?" questioned the miko jokingly.

Mai blushed a bright pink, unsure of whether or not she should answer said question. Ayako laughed and pulled her into a hug, which Mai returned. They continued messing around as they cooked and eventually brought the finished food to the base.

Dinner that night was rather amusing. They talked and laughed and joked as they chowed down on the not five star quality, but at least edible food. As usual, the only ones not joining in on the festivities were Naru and Lin, but no one really paid much attention. Now that Mai had brought her mind back to the present, she had once again become the life and soul of the party…not that anyone minded.

"-so Michiru pretended to be scared and started trembling, and then she pointed behind Keiko and goes 'It's b-b-behind you!' And she screamed. And then Keiko obviously looked over, cause now she was scared too and-"

As they ate, they were listening to Mai recount a story of when her friend Michiru played a ghostly prank on their friend Keiko. It was actually quite funny, which explained why Bou-san, Yasuhara and Madoka were chocking on both their food and their laughs, while tears of mirth steamed down their cheeks. John and Ayako were laughing too, but were being a bit more polite about it. In fact, this anecdote was so funny, that it even drew a deep chuckle out of the stoic Lin. Narcissistic Naru was the only one who remained completely and utterly unfazed.

"Well you all seem like you're having fun," came a voice from the doorway.

The group automatically looked round, only to see Akira standing there, with a large cake in his hands.

"What's with the cake?" asked Bou-san, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Today is my son's birthday," replied Akira. "I know it's odd because he's…dead, but I still celebrate all their birthdays… Today Ryou would be turning twenty one…but since this cake is rather large, I was wondering whether you all wanted some."

Mai, who had fallen silent, now perked up. "We'd love some," she smiled. And with a subtle nod from Naru, she added, "Would you like to join us?"

Akira smiled and agreed. Pretty soon, they were all enjoying themselves once more. Akira and Mai were quite similar, the team soon found out. Both were kind, cheerful and fun to be around. They got along very easily, though considering they were father and daughter, even though he didn't know it, it wasn't all that unexpected. Akira was politely interested in what they did and was soon telling them about the paranormal events he had experienced as a child back in his old home.

Sitting with him now, it would be hard to believe that Akira Yaoshima would be dead by the end of the week…

**And that's all I got for now…hopefully this'll keep you all thinking…I only just remembered that I should probably get rid of Masako, since I never mention her anyway and since I'm still trying to figure out what I'll do with Akira, I decided to leave this as a type of cliffy…And if anyone picks up my Captain Underpants reference, they get to pick the topic of my next NxM one shot...Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Yo…sorry, I know I'm a couple of days late with this…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

Mai stood under the warm spray of the shower with tears running down her cheeks. She was very glad that Akira had joined them earlier, but it had taken all her willpower not to break down crying in front of him or to simply yell out that she was exactly who he wished she was. That she was Mai, his Mai, his daughter.

When Akira had walked into SPR the other day, calling himself Kiyoshi Hideki, Mai had gotten this odd feeling about him. She hadn't really noticed it at the time, since she had been rather distracted that day, but it had been a feeling of familiarity. And now she knew why she had felt that. Now, she understood.

Turning off the water, Mai stepped out of the shower, dried off and began to pull on her pyjamas. She brushed her short hair and then padded down the hall to her room. The room she was sharing with Naru. A blush crept onto her cheeks, though as she had just come out of the shower, she could simply pretend it was the heat and not her…interesting thoughts.

Upon entering the room, Mai saw that Naru was already in bed. He was lying propped up on his pillow, reading in the light from the bedside lamp. He was pale, she noted. He always was, but he was a little paler than usual right now. His hair looked darker too, though that was because of his current skin tone.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me all night or will you be coming to bed anytime soon?" questioned Naru in amusement.

Mai jumped in surprise and flushed at the thought of being caught staring. Biting her lip the girl slowly crossed the room, going over to her side of the bed. Hesitating, she climbed in and lied down. Neither of them said anything and Mai turned over to her side and began to watch Naru read once more.

Naru looked good with a book in his hands. It suited him and made him look intelligent…not that he wasn't already. Mai reached up and began running her fingers through his soft black hair. He glanced at her, but didn't say anything. From his hair, Mai's fingers travelled down his cheek, down to his sleeve covered arm.

"Shall I teach you how to use that hand of yours properly?" smirked Naru suddenly.

Mai immediately snatched her hand away. The young man closed his book and put it down on the night table, before turning off the light. Through the cover of darkness, he pulled Mai closer to him. Her head was now resting on his chest, along with one of her hands. Naru ran his fingers up and down Mai's spine, enjoying the shudders that ran through her, which he was able to feel against him.

"Naru?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I'll ever be able to tell otou-san who I am?" asked Mai.

Naru sighed deeply, his chest rising and falling with it, along with Mai's head and hand. "I don't know Mai," he replied finally. "If I'm being honest, it depends on how this case goes. You realize that even though he was possessed and was completely unaware of what he was doing, he could still be blamed for the deaths of your mother, step-father, brother and sister.

"Who would blame him though?" questioned Mai. "The only ones who know that that happened are all of us. Even _he_ doesn't know he did it. And besides, no one even knows that we're related. My last name changed to Taniyama years ago and otou-san's been going by a different name too. Nobody will be able to figure out that Kiyoshi Hideki and Akira Yaoshima are the same person. Plus, will any of you be telling the police all this anytime soon?"

"No Mai, I don't think we'll be saying anything," said Naru, "but at the same time, I can't guarantee that Akira-san will feel the same way."

Mai stopped stroking Naru's chest and raised her head slightly to look at him through the gloom. "What do you mean he won't feel the same way? Are you trying to tell me that he's going to _want _to go to jail?"

Naru shook his head, aware that Mai would most likely be able to feel it. "I'm not speaking for him, Mai and I'm not saying that it's a definite, but…it's possible that even though it was a helpless situation, he may still feel guilty about it. He may feel as if he deserves to be punished for what he did."

"But _he_ didn't do it," protested Mai. "Jack did it!"

"I know, Mai," said Naru with a sigh, resuming the stroking of her back. "I know he was possessed. I know that what happened wasn't technically his fault, but Mai…it was his family."

Mai buried her face into Naru's chest, clutching his shirt. "I know! I know that dammit, but still!"

Naru gave another deep sigh, before wrapping his arms around her small body tightly. "It'll be alright, Mai. We'll work this out, alright? All of us."

Mai nodded slowly. "Un…"

"Just sleep for now, okay? We'll try and figure things out in the morning."

Snuggling against her boss, Mai allowed herself to fall asleep. Naru had said that they'd deal with everything in the morning and she was fine with that. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about anything. She just wanted a peaceful, dreamless sleep. And while sleeping in Naru's arms, Mai knew she wouldn't need to worry. Before the girl knew it, her breathing had evened out and she was fast asleep.

Mai may have been able to fall asleep quickly, unfortunately though, Naru was unable to do the same. Loosening his grip slightly, Naru breathed in the smell if Mai's cinnamon scented hair and let out a content sigh. How did this girl always manage to smell so amazing? With Mai sleeping and that pleasant weight on top of him, Naru considered himself to be quite lucky. Mai had been right, he did need to live. Constantly harping about it wasn't going to bring Gene back.

Yawning, Naru decided that they'd do exactly as he'd said. They'd deal with it all in the morning or whenever he got through at least two cups of tea. As for tonight, he grinned, tonight would be a good night…

**And that's it for this week, not much dialogue, and I know it was rather depressing, but meh. Anyway, looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Yo, I'm seriously sorry guys! You would not _believe_ how bad my writer's block was! I mean, I couldn't write anything! I've been working on this chapter since mid-July and I only _just_ finished it. Unfortunately, the writer's block isn't gone yet, but hopefully I can get past it a little and continue to update regularly.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters. In other words, nothing you recognize belongs to me.**

Shin Konata was feeling restless. Wait, was that even possible? Could spirits feel restlessness? Shin wasn't really sure, but he did know one thing: something was telling him to check up on those that were in the house. He knew they'd all be asleep right now, considering it was nearly four thirty in the morning, but still, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

Slowly Shin began his tour of the house, checking up on the occupants one by one. As he did this, he got the strangest feeling. He felt as if he were being watched. But…that didn't make sense. He was a spirit, not one could be watching him, since no one should be able to see him…unless…unless it was another spirit.

It was so strange. He didn't understand it. And because he didn't understand it, he tried to ignore it. Finally reaching the last room, he floated through the door and approached the bed. There, he saw Mai contently sleeping in Naru's arms. Shin wasn't sure how he felt about that. Though it may have been through adoption, Mai was still his little sister. The little sister he had sacrificed his life for. She meant allot to him and he really hoped Mai had given her heart out to the right person. Though somewhere deep down, if spirits _had_ a deep down, Shin knew Mai would have made the right choice. She wasn't your average girl, after all.

Despite him still feeling as if he were being observed, Shin was now satisfied that everyone was alright and allowed himself to return to the darkness for the time being. But before he could fully fade away into that nothingness…

"Mai! Mai!"

Mai shot up in her bed, chocking on her own sobs. Naru was seated next to her with a hand on her back and the other on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"Breathe, Mai, breathe… That's it, slowly…" This wasn't exactly a skill Naru excelled at, but he was pleased when upon following his instructions, the girl began to calm.

After taking a few more deep breaths, Mai was finally calm enough to both think and speak properly. And the very first thing she did was grab Naru's hand and say, "Jack's spirit has devoured the spirits of Ryou-niichan and May! He…he's getting stronger, Naru…"

Naru's eyes widened in surprise. He had not expected to hear _that_. He gave Mai a sharp look, silently demanding that she tell him how she knew this.

"It was in my dream," she replied, flopping back down. "I…I saw it happen. Gene was there too and he explained everything to me. He…he told me what I had just seen…what Jack had just done."

"…It seems Jack will be doing something soon," Naru finally said. "I believe he devoured those two spirits in order to prepare. You said it yourself that he's gaining strength."

"But what's he planning on doing?" asked Mai in confusion.

Naru allowed himself to drop down onto his back next to Mai and heaved a great sigh. "That, I don't know," he said. "Though it must be something big. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the need to devour those spirits. Not _both_ at least." He paused for a moment. "We'll need to be prepared for anything. We shouldn't take him lightly. Jack is much more dangerous than he seems."

Mai nodded and curled up against Naru once more. "I hope everything will be alright," she mumbled.

Naru wrapped an arm around her, but did not respond. How could he, when he didn't know what was going to happen? And Mai was alright with that. She hadn't expected him to respond, for she too, knew that whatever was going to happen, would be bad. She could feel it with every fiber of her being. The only questions that remained now were, 'What?' and 'When?' So much for that good night…

When Lin walked into the base that morning, he was quite surprised to see the empty room. He quickly flicked on all the monitors and looked at the screen for the camera in Naru and Mai's room. Surprise flitted across his slim face once more when he saw that both teens were still fast asleep. On his way to Naru's room, he passed by John who seemed to have just stepped out of the shower. His blond hair was wet and sticking to his face and he was doing up the last few buttons on his shirt.

"Good morning, Lin-san," greeted the priest politely.

"Brown-san," Lin gave him a nod. "Would you do me a favour and keep an eye on the monitors until I return?"

"Of course," John smiled. "I don't mind at all."

John then headed down the stairs, while Lin continued down the hall. Upon reaching the last room, he knocked and entered. Neither Naru nor Mai had stirred from his rap on the wood. He approached the bed and began to wake them up. Now normally, when awakened in such a way, Naru would get angry and Mai would be embarrassed, both would blush at the fact that he, Lin, had seen them sleeping cuddled with one another. But that didn't happen this time. They stirred, then jumped up.

"-did anything happen-"

"-what did we-"

"-Jack was going to-"

Naru and Mai caught sight of Lin's face and relaxed. He looked confused rather than worried or anxious or angry or urgent. It didn't seem like Jack had done anything yet. Good. That meant that they were safe for now.

Thanking Lin for waking them up, Naru followed his Chinese guardian to the door. At the doorway, Naru stopped and looked back at Mai, who was seated on the bed looking slightly worried. He then did something rather uncharacteristic for him. Naru smiled. It was small and meant to be reassuring, but it was a smile nonetheless. And it worked. Mai smiled back and got up. With a curt nod, Naru was gone.

Mai got ready slowly, pondering what Jack was going to do. She could still feel that something bad was going to happen, but she still wasn't sure what. When she was ready, she headed down to the base. Surprisingly, John and Bou-san had prepared breakfast that morning and what was even more surprising, was that the food was actually good.

"Wow, Bou-san, I didn't know you could cook so well," smirked Mai.

"Jou-chan, I live alone. How would I even be alive right now if I didn't know how to cook?"

Mai shrugged. "I figured you just…bought food or something," she replied.

The brown haired man shook his head in exasperation, but let out an amused chuckle. Once breakfast had been finished and the dishes washed and put away, the team all gathered around in the base and looked at Naru. Said teen sipped at his tea a couple of times before finally beginning to speak.

"Last night, Jack's spirit went and devoured the spirits of both Ryou-san and May-san."

There was a collective "WHAT!" and both Naru and Mai nodded.

"Gene showed me in a dream," explained the girl. "He showed me Jack's spirit, which looked black and cold, while May and nii-chan's were bright and warm colours. I saw the black spirit…engulf the other two. Gene…he told me what was going on and…they're gone…"

Naru absently took Mai's hand, while his other reached up to his chin as he thought. "As I said to Mai last night, Jack is going to be doing something big soon. The only problem is, I don't know what." He paused for a moment, stroking Mai's fingers. "Madoka, Yasuhara-san, I want the two of you to research on Jack Midnight. Find out everything you can about him. Even the smallest detail could help."

"Yes, boss!" exclaimed Yasuhara with his customary salute.

"On it, Noll!"

Yasuhara and Madoka stood and spoke for a moment before departing. Everyone else remained where they were, wondering what they were going to have to do.

"Lin, I want to do an EVP session."

There was another pause as Lin looked at Naru in something akin to apprehension. "It has been a while since you last did that, Noll," said Lin. "…Are you sure that is the best way to proceed?"

EVP's were something that Gene did more than Naru and the last time they had done it, Gene had been with them. They hadn't done another one since then and that was why Lin was unsure.

"I know and it is." If Naru was feeling anything for this, he wasn't showing it.

Lin nodded and got up, exiting the room to grab some stuff from the van and Naru now looked over at the monk, priest, and shrine maiden.

"Do you recall how to take EMF readings?" he questioned. When the three nodded, he went on. "Good. Take those meters, split up and get me the readings of every room in this house. Keep your eyes on the meters. I want the slightest fluctuation noted." They nodded once more and got to their feet, but before they could move, Naru added, "Remain cautious. Jack is…dangerous."

When Bou-san, Ayako and John had grabbed their EMF meters and clipboards, and departed the room, Mai turned slightly to look at her boyfriend. "Things are starting to get serious now, huh?" she said softly.

"Yes, they are," replied Naru. "And I don't want you going off alone anymore. I don't want to know what will happen if you do." And with a tug to her arm, he pulled Mai close to him. "I don't want to lose you too," he murmured into her hair.

**That's it for this week. I'm sure you've noted that this chapter was a bit longer than my usual ones, and that's been done as an apology for the two month wait. Thankz for keeping up with me and any reviews, faves, alerts and stuff that I got during my…dry time. I'll try to have the next chapter up by next weekend, if not then, the week after that. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Yo…Ugh, can CM Punk NOT interrupt the Chairman of the WWE? And the hell's up with that yellow shirt…? Sorry. Anyway, I've decided to stop making promises, cause whenever I do, I'm never able to keep them. Fanfic wise, at least. Heh, heh, Vince McMahon just dissed Punk's shirt… So, here we are. This is mainly an…informative chapter, bit frustrating at the end, but meh…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

Lin returned to the base with a camcorder, digital recorder, MEL meter, and a REM pod. He placed these down on the coffee table in front of the couch where Naru and Mai were seated and began to set them up. He placed the small recorder in the middle of the table, put the MEL meter on one side on its stand, and the REM pod on the other side. He then placed the camcorder in a position where the other three devices would be caught in frame.

Lin straightened up and looked at the young couple. "Noll, everything is set. All you need to do is turn them all on."

Naru nodded and glanced over at the monitors to see where the others were. "Make sure they don't enter the base until we're done. I want only Mai and myself in this room during the EVP session."

"Noll…are you absolutely sure?" asked Lin. And when Naru sent him a firm look, he gave them a curt nod and left the room, taking his position right outside the door.

Mai looked at her boyfriend. "Naru, what're we doing? What's an EVP? What's a…REM pod?"

Naru glanced over at her. "You know what EMF's are, but not EVP's? I thought you had studied?"

"I did!" the girl defended. "But it was a while ago!"

"Well, do you remember _anything_ you read about them?" questioned Naru.

Mai sat there thinking. "EVP stands for…electronic voice phenomenon, right?"

Naru nodded. "Good. Now what exactly _is_ an electronic voice phenomenon?"

"Umm…voices?"

"Yes? Go on," prompted the young man.

Mai leaned back, biting her lip, deep in thought. "Voices…you may not hear with your own ears at the time…I think."

Naru gave her a small smile, which showed that he was pleased. "That's exactly it. Extremely vague, but it." The girl punched him when he smirked. "What? That's a praise, Mai. The simpler, the better. You made it easy enough for _anyone_ to understand. Ow!" And then he laughed. Well, it was more like a deep chuckle than a laugh, but close enough. When he stopped, he spoke. "Yes, EVP's are voices or noises we may capture on the digital recorder, voices or noises that we may not hear ourselves. Do you know _why _we can't hear them? No? It's because spirits speak on a higher frequency. A frequency that humans cannot hear, though, there are counts of certain animals being able to do so."

"Riiiight! I remember now!" exclaimed Mai. She paused. "Then what's a REM pod? _That_ I've never heard of."

"That doesn't surprise me," replied Naru. "They're fairly new devices and not many people use them yet. Do you see that antenna, sticking out of the base? Yes? Around that antenna, is a sort of…bubble."

"A bubble?" repeated Mai in confusion.

"An EMF bubble," clarified Naru. "If something comes within that bubble, it disrupts the EMF field and the Pod alarms. Watch." He turned the Pod on. "See? It's completely silent." He then brought his hand close to the antenna, as if he were about to grab it. The Pod immediately began to light up and emit an alarm type sound. "This is exactly what will happen if a spirit attempts to get close to or touch it. Understand?"

Mai nodded. "Yeah. That's kinda cool. Then what's that?" This time she was pointing at the MEL meter. "I mean, it looks allot like an EMF meter, but…"

"Good eye," said Naru, faintly impressed. He hadn't expected her to notice that. "A MEL meter _is_ rather similar to an EMF meter, except this one measures temperatures as well as EMF. As you _should_ know, spirits can cause temperature fluctuations as well as interfere with EMF fields. A MEL meter documents both."

"Oh…I see," said Mai, staring down at the device curiously.

"So what we're going to do," said Naru, "is I'm going to turn all this on, and then we'll ask a series of questions and then listen back to see if we managed to capture anything on the recorder. While we're conducting the EVP session, we'll have to keep an eye on the MEL meter and the REM pod. Once everything's done, Lin will go over the camcorder's footage and we'll work from there."

"Got it," said Mai. She stared at him.

"What?" snapped Naru impatiently.

Mai smiled teasingly. "You've never explained things so willingly and…happily before," she said. "It makes it obvious that you really like what you do. It's cute."

Naru scowled. "Mai," he said warningly.

"What?" said the girl with a wide smile. "Do you want me to say that you're _not_ cute? Cause I'd be lying if I did. Watashi no Naru-chan wa kawaii desu!"* And she leaned in and ruffled his soft black hair.

Naru made a noise that sounded almost like a growl, before he grabbed her by the wrists and pinned her down to the couch. His lips crashed onto hers in a desperate, heated kiss. Mai was slightly shocked by the intensity, but responded immediately, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue in. One of Naru's hands remained at the girl's wrist, while the other slipped under her shirt, running up the soft skin of her navel.

"Mmmngh!" Mai gasped when she felt Naru's hand cup one of her breasts. "Naru!"

They broke the kiss to breathe, but as soon as their lungs were full, they resumed the hot liplock. Naru was ready to take Mai right there on the couch and probably would have done so, when the REM pod (which Naru had forgotten to turn off after his demonstration) suddenly went off. The alarm from the Pod caused both teens to freeze and turn their heads to look at it. What they saw, made both them blush and scowl.

Eugene Davis stood there, a smug smile on his face. There wasn't much colour to him, he was more like a shadow, yet there was a brightness around him…surrounding him.

"Now I hate to break off what is clearly 'happy time' for the two of you, but I thought I'd remind you that you're supposed to be conducting an EVP session at the moment. I'm quite sure you'll have time to ravish one another later. Lin may get suspicious, you know. I also felt it would be wise to inform you, that right now is the best moment to do this EVP session. It seems that Jack is in a rather decent mood. All that remains, is for you to pose the right questions…" And on that enigmatic note, Gene was gone.

*I'm not sure whether that's correct or not. I kinda guessed. If it's wrong, feel free to let me know. If it's right, feel free to let me know.

**And that's all for this week…McMahon wants to FIGHT Punk? Damn! Did anyone notice how the Resident Evil 6 logo looks like a chick sucking a giraffe's cock? Sorry about the random WWE and RE stuff, I'm watching Raw while typing this soo… Anyway, I apologize for leaving poor Naru and Mai in such tension, but hey, I need something to build up on for the actual…moment, right? Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Yo, ugh, sorry about how long this took. I have a million reasons, but you guys already know most of them, since they're usually the same as always… Two hundred reviews! Shocker! Glad you guys like the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

Naru and Mai both cleared their throats and sat up, straightening their clothes and smoothing their hair, not looking at one another all the while. Once the blushes on both faces had died down, they returned to work mode.

"So, uh, what kind of questions are we going to be asking?" wondered Mai, trying to remain focused.

Naru, who was attempting to do the same, said, "First, we will need to establish who is here with us. With Ryou-san and May-san…gone, we'll be communicating with Jack, Suzaku-san, or Shin-san. There are answers we need from all three of them."

Mai hesitated, wondering whether Naru was going to answer her. "Why did you suddenly decide to do an EVP session, Naru? We've _never_ done it before."

"…I know," said Naru after a moment. "I haven't done one for a while now, but I…I don't know, it just feels…right. I feel as if we _have_ to conduct an EVP session. He didn't know why he felt this way, the confusion on his face making that very clear.

Mai watched him feeling both surprised and confused herself. She had never seen Naru be so hesitant before. But she didn't have a chance to question him about it, for her boss gave his head a little shake and told himself to focus on what needed to be done.

"Let's begin." Reaching over, Naru turned on the Digital Recorder, MEL Meter, and camcorder, and he adjusted the REM Pod, which was already on. Then, leaning back in his seat, he caught Mai's eye and nodded once, signaling that he was going to start.

"Shin-san, Suzaku-san, Jack, are any of you here with us?" He held up a hand, signaling that Mai not speak. Thirty seconds later, he said, "We need to give them time to answer us. If we speak continuously, we may not be able to hear their voices on the recorder…if they answer us, that is."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I think I remember reading something about that," muttered Mai. She looked around the room, thinking. _The three spirits they were trying to communicate with were connected to her. Would they get better results if _she _tried to speak with them? _She voiced her thoughts out loud.

Naru considered for a moment. "Alright, Mai, you try to communicate with them. You're right, they may not want to speak to me, but they _should_ want to talk to you. Go on."

Mai nodded. _Who should she start with? Her brother? Her uncle? Jack? She supposed it would be easiest to talk to her brother, considering he had showed himself before, and even spoken to them. _"Shin-niichan? Are you here?"

Naru was slightly surprised at this. He hadn't expected Mai to begin with Shin. Though the most logical order was Shin, Suzaku, Jack, he had figured she would jump straight to Jack. "Mai, the MEL Meter's spiking," he said suddenly. "It's at 1.0. The base reading was .2."

"Nii-chan, if that's you, can you come closer? We can't see you right now, or even hear you, but the stuff we have here on the table can help with that."

"1.3…1.5…1.6…2.0. Temperature's dropped about three degrees," Naru noted.

"Why are you still here, Shin-niichan? Why haven't you moved on?" Mai paused, as Naru had said, to give Shin a chance to answer. "Are you haunting Otou-san? Haunting Akira? Haunting Kiyoshi? It's the same person either way."

During the next pause, the REM Pod began going off.

"Nii-chan, do you know what happened to May and Ryou-niichan?"

"Shin-san, what happened the day you died?" questioned Naru. "What happened after you told Mai to run?"

They weren't sure if they were getting any answers. They couldn't hear anything, but, that was the point, wasn't it? EVP's were things they couldn't hear with their own ears. Their equipment however, seemed to be catching fluctuations in both temperature and the electromagnetic field around them. _Something _had to be causing that.

But suddenly, the MEL flat lined, returning to 0.2, and the temperature returned to normal, and the REM Pod silenced.

"I think that's all we'll be getting from Shin-san," said Naru. "It takes a lot of energy for them to do stuff like this, so it isn't surprising that he can't communicate for long."

"I understand," nodded Mai, hoping that her brother had said something. "Should I move on to oji-san?"

"Yes, I think that would be best."

Now focusing on her dead uncle, Mai began with the question that had been on her mind since he had passed away when she had been seven years old. "Oji-san, how did you die? They said you killed yourself, but that's not what happened, is it?"

Naru kept a close eye on the equipment as Mai asked her questions, but to his surprise, none of the equipment seemed to be picking anything up. Nothing at all. Mai seemed to have noticed this too, for she glanced over at him. Then they both looked at the digital recorder, wondering if Suzaku was even there, answering those questions.

"Mai, let's move on to Jack," said Naru suddenly.

"Already? But we've only just started with oji-san!"

"I know, but it doesn't look as if we're picking anything up. Besides, don't you recall what Gene said?"

"Now's the best time to ask Jack questions."

"Exactly."

The girl sighed. "Okay, fine." She thought for a moment, wondering what to say. _What _could_ she say? She barely remembered Jack in the first place. What she _did_ remember, was that she had never liked Jack, and had been a little scared of him. When she had come back into the room that day, he was dead, and her sister had been crying so hard. So when they had been asked what happened, she had said that _she_ had done it. _

_But if Jack wanted revenge on _her_, why was he after her father? That was something she didn't understand. Why hadn't Jack simply come to haunt her in the beginning?_

"Mai?"

Mai snapped out of her reverie, surprised to find herself where she was. "Huh? Oh, Naru?"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Naru seemed a little confused.

With a small frown, Mai answered. "I…don't know what to say. I don't know what to ask Jack."

"This isn't a very difficult task, Mai."

But she shook her head. "You don't understand, Naru. My twin sister _killed_ him and _I_ took the blame for it! He _possessed _otou-san and had him kill my stepfather and Ryou-niichan, uncle possibly, and okaa-san and May, and he may have been involved with my kidnapping and Shin-niichan's death! What can I _possibly_ say to _that_!?"

Naru, who had been listening to this in silence, closed his eyes and thought for a moment. _Yes, Mai was right. This had to be hard for her. He hadn't realized it, hadn't really thought about it. Maybe it _would _be better if _he _asked Jack the questions. _Deciding this was the best way, Naru opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the REM Pod, which suddenly sounded off. Surprised, he focused on the equipment laden table.

The alarming on the Pod was intensifying, the MEL was reporting an EMF of 9.3 and a seven degree temperature drop in the area around them. Well damn.

"N- Naru…?"

"Not now, Mai," said Naru, brushing his young assistant off.

"Dammit, Naru! Look!" And she tugged his sleeve urgently.

Alarmed by her intensity, Naru looked up, only to see a dark, shadowy figure standing on the opposite side of the coffee table. It stared down at them as they stared back at it, both too surprised to move. The figure simply stood there, giving off an odd aura. It was…mocking them.

And then it was gone, vanishing as fast as it had appeared. The equipment stilled, silenced, and after a moment, was turned off. That had been such an odd experience, and both teens hoped at least _some_ of it had been documented. It was a good thing there was another camera placed in the room, because the camcorder on the table hadn't been facing the direction where they had seen the apparition.

"That was…Jack, wasn't it?" asked Mai slowly, still trying to process everything.

"I believe it was, yes," replied Naru, thinking about the chain of events that had led up to them seeing the figure.

"Was he…making _fun_ of us?"

Naru looked at her. "You felt that too?"

That pretty much answered Mai's question right there. She was very confused now though. _Why_ had Jack been _mocking _them? What reason could he possibly have to do so? What was he doing? What was he planning?

**And that's all I got for now. Thanks for all the faves, alerts, follows, reviews, and readers. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Yo, well, finally got the next chapter done and surprisingly, no one's using the laptop, so I can actually put this thing up. Nothing major going on in this chapter, just the results from the EVP session from before.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

It was a couple of minutes after Jack had disappeared, that Naru opened the door to the base, allowing Lin and the others, who had returned from whatever duties he had set them, in. The Chinese man immediately took the camcorder and digital recorder, and began to check the footage to see whether the teens had caught anything during their EVP session.

While Naru sat in silence, Mai told the others about what had just happened. They were very interested in knowing why they'd been locked out of the base, after all.

"So you actually saw him…" Bou-san frowned.

"What's wrong?" Mai wasn't sure why her friend was making such a face.

The monk shook his head. "It just feels as if Jack is…upping up his game. It also seems like he's getting stronger and stronger as time goes by. I don't like it."

John seemed to agree with him. "It is as if Jack is preparing himself for something big," he stated, only to have Bou-san nod in agreement.

"But what's he getting ready for?" wondered Ayako.

The others shrugged, unsure. Jack was such a bizarre spirit, they all knew that he could be planning anything, but…what could that thing be? And would they be able to stop him?

"Noll." It was Lin, who had been ignoring their conversation and reviewing the evidence.

"Have you found something?" Naru immediately went over to his guardian, who got up, allowing him to sit down in his place. He accepted the headphones Lin handed him, put them on, and waited while the tall man pressed some keys. Naru both watched and listened intently, a small frown appearing on his face.

It seemed he and Mai had succeeded in gathering quite a bit of evidence. Lin beckoned the others over, all who crowded around eagerly.

They heard Mai's voice come out of the speakers, deeper than it normally was due to the way Lin had enhanced it. 'Shin-niichan, are you here?' Then they heard Naru's voice, reporting a spike in EMF.

'…Ma…i…'

The team looked at one another, amazed. Mai blinked, evidently surprised.

"Did he…was that…did he just say my name?"

"That is what it sounds like," replied Lin with a nod.

Yasuhara frowned. "Or did he say 'hai'? They both _do_ rhyme."

" 'Mai' or 'Hai', they're both relevant and intelligent answers," said Naru.

They heard Mai asking her brother to come closer to them, and then Naru saying the EMF was getting higher, as well as reporting a temperature drop. Mai then asked Shin why he was haunting Akira.

'No… I'm… ng _ _ck…'

The group frowned, and they all closed their eyes and listened intently as Lin played that bit again, knowing they hadn't caught it.

"Oh! 'No, I'm haunting Jack'!" exclaimed Bou-san suddenly.

Naru's eyes widened and then narrowed. _Was that what he had said? He had heard something else._ "Lin, play it once more."

Lin complied, played the sequence again, and noted how everyone was listening closely, trying to hear what the monk had heard.

"He's right," said Naru abruptly. "Apparently, we have a spirit haunting another spirit."

"Is that possible?" asked Mai with a frown.

"It is rare, but not unheard of."

They continued to listen. They heard Mai ask Shin whether he knew what had happened to Ryou and Mai. They got another response.

'I… couldn'_ pro_ _ct th_m…'

Though they couldn't hear it clearly, it was pretty obvious as to what was being said. Everyone looked at a teary eyed Mai. Her dream had been accurate then. Ryou and May were definitely gone for good. Lin decided it was probably best to continue, and did just that.

They heard Naru's voice, once again enhanced, ask Shin about what had happened the day he had died, and what had occurred after he had told Mai to run.

'Aki_ _ sho_ _ _. _ tri_ _ _ run, _ _ _ Jac possess _. _ _ was_ _ Akira, but Mai w_s _ _fe. Tha_ _as goo_.'

"Wha-? That sounds like gibberish," said Ayako.

"It isn't." Naru seemed to have figured it out. 'Akira shot me. I tried to run, but Jack was possessing him. It wasn't Akira, but Mai was safe. That was good'."

"And that's why Shin-niichan's after Jack," said Mai slowly, suppressing a sob.

The questioning for Suzaku then began, and though their equipment hadn't picked anything up, their digital recorder had. A voice _did_ come through, and it was such an odd voice that Mai didn't even have to tell the others that it didn't belong to her uncle for them to realize it.

"I killed him… I ate him… He's gone!"

The voice had come through so clear that it had even surprised Naru, who hadn't heard a Class A EVP in a long time.

"I knew it," said Mai softly. "I knew he didn't commit suicide. Jack…he killed him too."

They then watched Jack's apparition manifest on the other end of the room. None of them liked what they were seeing. Despite what Naru and Mai thought, Jack hadn't just stood there staring at them mockingly. He had said something as well. He said something that immediately made their blood run cold.

"One, two, three on Akira!" he said in an insolent, taunting tone.

Mai paled. Their client…her father, was in serious danger…

**Yeah, that's the end. Things'll be picking up soon, probably in the next chapter or something. Thanks for all readers and all. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Yo, so, yeah… Again, so sorry about the wait. It's the writer's block, guys. I can't do shit about that. It won't bleeding leave me alone! Anyway, thanks to all readers so far.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters…**

The team was silent as they all sat in the base, thinking.

*A few moments ago*

"_Otou-san!" Shocked to the core by what she had just heard, and terrified that something may have happened to her father, Mai ran out of the room, not bothering to heed the warning calls behind her. She rushed to her father's office, somehow knowing that he would be there._

_He was. And what was more, he was fine. The door was open and the teen stood there out of breath, gazing at him in a mix of relief and confusion. He was…fine? The girl blinked, rubbed her eyes, then blinked again. Akira was still sitting there, submerged in whatever it was that he was doing._

_Not wanting him to notice her, Mai stepped back and away from the door, confusion still evident on her face. Before she could do anything else, Naru ran up to her._

"_You idiot! How many times have I told you not to run off like that? What if something were to happen to you?"_

"_Naru, he's fine."_

_Now it was Naru's turn to blink in surprise. He craned his neck and glanced into the room, only to see the man inside pacing back and forth, an official looking document in his hand. Naru pulled back and Mai saw that he seemed just as confused as she was._

_Akira was alright…?_

*Flashback end*

"Maybe Jack was just playing with us," said Yasuhara suddenly. "Can spirits do that?"

When Naru didn't say anything, John answered. "They can, yes. But I do not think that Jack would do something like that just because he felt like it. There must have been a reason."

"He's planning on killing my father, isn't he?"

Everyone looked over at Mai, who was staring back at them defiantly. The look in her face clearly said that there was no way that she was going to let anything happen to her father. No frickin' way. They then glanced at one another, before they all focused on Naru.

"We're going to have to take turns with guard duty," he said. He looked over at Mai. "I'm not going to let anything happen to him, Mai." He seemed quite determined.

Naru's 'guard duty', meant just that, and Bou-san, Ayako, and John were the only ones actually taking part in the 'guarding'. Mai and Yasuhara could not defend _themselves_, let alone anyone else, and Naru needed Lin to man the monitors because he was too _busy_, leaving the monk, miko, and priest. To their credit though, none of them complained ever once.

With nothing to do, Mai sat there in the base, twiddling her thumbs, literally. She had so many feelings coursing through her, anxiousness and fear just being two of them, but she didn't know how to behave. Of course she had faith in her friends, but she had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was something Mai felt more in her gut, than in her head or even her heart, but she couldn't really explain it. Bou-san, Ayako, and John were pretty good, after all.

Naru glanced over at Mai for the umpteenth time, and noted that she still looked worried. Distracted as she was, her abilities were not going to work properly. There would be interference, which wasn't good at all. She needed a distraction. A good, proper one, that would bring her attention to something completely unrelated to her father. "Mai. Tea."

Mai jumped at her boss' sudden command. The base had been so quiet, filled with so much tension, that she hadn't expected it. "H-hai!" She got to her feet and made it to the door, before she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back, saw Naru gazing back at her with solemn, blue eyes.

"I'm not letting you go alone, you fool." From her shoulder, Naru slid his hand down Mai's arm, to take her hand in his own. At this point, he didn't really care who saw what. All he knew, was that he had to shift the girl's focus away from her father, guard duty, Jack's spirit, anything that had to do with Akira's potential life threatening situation.

The young couple wandered over to the empty kitchen, and Naru only released Mai's hand when she began preparing tea. He stood back against the counter, watched her move in that perfect way that she did, heard her humming softly as she worked, and it brought a small smile to his face.

With the water set to boil, Mai slowly approached her boss, who said nothing, merely raised a brow in that Naruesque manner. Hesitantly, biting her lip, she brought her arms around him. After a moment, she felt Naru do the same. Mai let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and focused instead, on the sound of Naru's heartbeat.

She could hear it beneath her ear, beating in a slow, but steady rhythm. For some reason, it calmed her down. Mai relaxed considerably, something Naru noticed as well, but didn't comment on. Instead, he allowed his fingers to run down Mai's spine, causing her back to arc. Pleased with the response, he did it again, and this time, Mai let out what sounded like a whimper.

Naru felt something inside him snap. Tangling his fingers in Mai's hair, he tugged her head back, dragging her mouth to his in a hungry kiss. He swallowed her surprised gasp, felt her hands come to clutch his shirt, and all of this simply enticed him further. His free hand traveled downwards and came to a stop at her hip. He yanked Mai towards him, pressed their bodies together.

Mai couldn't stop her soft moan when she felt Naru's arousal press up against her center. Clothed though they were, she could still _feel_ it. Experimentally, curiously, she shifted her hips slightly, and Naru tore his mouth away from hers to groan.

Naru looked down at his young assistant, noted her wide eyes, flushed cheeks, mussed hair. _So beautiful, all mine…_ He pulled her into another kiss, deepened it immediately, felt her soft body melt into his hard one. She opened her mouth to him, allowed him to taste her, but bit down on his bottom lip when they began to part.

They gazed at one another for a moment, before moving in again. Only this time, they were cut off. Forced apart by the sound of two screams, melding into one…

**And that's that for now. Thought you guys might like another…moment in there, since I've been neglecting you. Did you really think I'd have them shag in the kitchen their first time? Bit much, if you ask me. Anyway, dunno when the next chapter will be up, as I'm me. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Yo...looks like I owe you all yet another apology, huh? We're at chapter thirty now guyz! Almost done now, not much more left. Thank you to all readers so far! Oh, and this chapter'll be rather depressing, with a shocking ending that you'll probably hate me for, considering who knows when I'll update again...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

Naru and Mai wrenched apart at the sudden, shocking sound. Forcing herself to move away from Naru, Mai rushed to turn the stove off. This effectively cut off one scream, yet all that was left now was silence.

"Noll. Mai. Upstarts. Now!" Lin's voice sounded from the hall, booming with urgency.

The teens didn't hesitate, they immediately ran out the kitchen, down the hall, up the stairs, and into what they knew to be Akira's bedroom.

The man of the house was flat on his back in bed, looking extremely pale with red staining his bare chest. He was conscious, but barely. Ayako was hunched over him, yelling instructions out at the others, her hands bloody but steady. John and Yasuhara ran in and out of the room, arms laden with whatever the doctor needed. Lin aided the miko with what she was doing, occasionally brushing her hair away when it came in the way, as his hands weren't covered in blood like hers. And Bou-san stood at the foot of the bed, chanting in a loud, clear voice.

"…No!" Looking as pale as her father, Mai immediately rushed to his side, making sure to go to the opposite end of the bed that Ayako was at. Silently, Naru came up next to her. Unable to resist, Mai took the man's shaking hand into her own. "No…please don't leave me! Come on, otou-san, please!"

"Matsuzaki-san!"

"I'm working, dammit!"

Akira, now paler than ever, slowly turned his head to look at Mai. His eyes, which were so like hers, filled with sudden happiness. "Mai…" he said, his voice so very faint.

"Otou-san…" she didn't care about pretending anymore. She couldn't. Not now.

Akira smiled as much as he could with the pain he was obviously in. "Mai… You're my Mai… You really are my baby…" Untangling his hand from hers, he cupped her cheek, wiping tears with his thumb. "I was right…all this time… You've grown so much… You've become so very beautiful…" He took a shaky breath, followed by a wheezing cough.

"Matsuzaki-san!" repeated Naru, sounding more urgent now.

"Shut up! I'm trying!" Ayako was clearly not pleased. There were beads of sweat on her forehead, and her face was contorted in serious concentration.

"All these years…I thought you were gone…" continued Akira softly. "But just look at you-" he winced with a hiss of pain, "-so…so full of life, ngh!" His breathing grew shallow.

"No! Otou-san, no, please! Ayako, please, please hurry!" Mai didn't care that she was begging and crying. He was dying, her father was dying and that was all that mattered at the moment.

Ayako was working almost feverishly by this point, but everyone else just watched in silence. They had been doing whatever they could to help, but there was nothing more for them to do at the present time. Bou-san, who had considered the possibility of Jack attacking while they were all distracted, had put up a barrier to prevent him from doing just that.

"Mai…my beautiful girl…never stop…smiling…okay?" Akira's voice was barely audible by this point.

Mai let out a sob. "No! No, no, no, no! You can't leave me! You can't!"

"Dammit! Stay with me, Akira! Come on!" Ayako surprised the others with her sudden exclamation. She leaned in closer to her 'patient', swearing under her breath. Her pace quickened considerably.

Mai's crying intensified as soon as she realized what was happening. She was so scared, so sad, she didn't know what to do. Naru seemed to notice this. Though he didn't say anything, he placed a hand on her shoulder, the other slowly stroking up and down her spine in a comforting manner.

"Mai…sweetheart… I love you…" Akira made an odd sound, somewhere between a gasp and a wheeze, before his breath caught. The light in his eyes as he gazed at his daughter suddenly vanished. The hand resting on Mai's cheek went slack and hit her lap.

Mai screamed. Her cry was just so anguished, that no one knew what to say. Tears streamed down her cheeks and after a moment of hesitation Naru knelt down next to her, trying to gather her into his arms. Just as he had expected, she fought, and roughly at that. But after a moment, she simply went limp.

Naru just held her, silently allowing her to cling to him and cry. There was a darkness in his eyes that hadn't been there since Gene had died. Ayako was as limp as the girl. Her blood soaked hands were trembling and her expression was one of devastation. Lin seemed as expressionless as ever, but if one were to look at him closely, they would have seen a deep sadness on his face. John and Yasuhara were equally pale and equally surprised. They both stared, transfixed, at what used to be Akira.

"The kekkai won't hold for much longer guys," said Bou-san suddenly, surprising the others. Though it seemed otherwise, the monk was very upset by what had just happened, even more so owing to the fact that it had been he guarding Akira when all this had happened in the first place.

"Mai…" It was Naru who spoke now, but he made sure to keep his voice gentle. "Come, we need to move."

"No! No, I won't leave him!" She was beyond devastated, and couldn't even think about leaving her father.

Naru however, grabbed hold of her firmly, and forcefully pulled her away from the bed, even as she fought against him. He pulled her trembling form against his, and locked eyes with his guardian. "Lin."

The Chinese man nodded once. He knew it was going to be his responsibility to deal with Akira. He was going to call whoever needed to be notified, take care of it all. He was to do it all.

Naru meanwhile, decided it would be best to get Mai away from everyone else (though they may have thought otherwise) and led her up to their bedroom. He sat her down on the bed before joining her. The teen wasn't surprised to see that she was still crying. He did the only thing he could; just held her close.

Mai cried for a long time, but finally, pulled away slightly. There were tears staining her cheeks, and her eyes were all red and blotchy, yet she forced herself to meet her boss' eyes. "Naru…?"

"Yes, Mai?"

"Will you do something for me?" Her voice was thick, but firm.

"Anything," And he meant it. He really would do anything for this girl. Anything.

"Help me forget," she said softly. "Please…make love to me…"

**And that's that for the moment. I've prepared myself for all the hate I'm going to get for ending it like that, so do your worst. I'm kidding. No flames guyz, seriously. Anyway, dunno when the next update will be. Oh, anyone reading a fan of the Bou-sanxMai pairing? Lemme know, kay? Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Yo. It's been forever hasn't it? I'm sorry. Again. I'm just dealing with a lot of crap right now, so things are pretty hard at the moment. Lemon warning for this chapter to all you underage readers out there. It's not very explicit or anything, since I have zero practice with it. You'll have to wait for smut until I can actually write it. I can do it in my head, but I can't get it down on paper and whatever, so I'm working on it. This will have to do for now, and I hope it's still okay. Just remember, her dad just died and she needs comfort. Yes, that's my excuse. Deal.**

**As usual, thank you to all readers so far and an extra thanks to everybody who reviewed. I can't believe how much you guys like this considering how crappy it was in the beginning. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

Naru froze as Mai's words rang through his head. Had she really just said that? Had she really just asked him to- "Mai..." he hesitated a moment, putting some space between them so that he could get a look at her face, "do you realize what you're asking me to do?"

Mai shuddered once, harshly. "...Yes." She looked at him, eyes filled with tortured pain, with desire. She may have been grieving, but she knew what she was doing, what she was asking for.

And Naru continued to stare, unsure, but not unwilling. "Mai," he said finally, "I don't want to do something that you'll regret later."

"I won't regret it," replied the girl quickly.

Still, Naru hesitated. "Mai..."

"Please, Naru."

Naru's eyes fell shut. He wanted this, gods he wanted her. But this...it wasn't right, was it? Wouldn't it be taking advantage of her? She couldn't possibly be thinking straight right now. Not after what had just happened. But the traitorous part of his mind began to betray him. After all, she was the one asking for this, for him.

Those eyes remained closed when Naru began to feel Mai's hands on his chest. They were trembling. Despite this however, she began to unbutton his shirt. Once each button had been slowly undone, she pulled the shirt off, her small hands coming to his bare chest immediately.

Naru was quickly forced to bite back a groan. Mai's trembling, inexperienced hands slowly mapped across his chest, feeling out every little detail, such as the scar below his left nipple that he'd gotten while playing with Gene when they had been ten. Mai traced the scar lightly, gently, and then those fingers traveled up, pausing at his hardened nipples. She rolled them with her thumbs and Naru knew she had moved even closer to him now.

The young man was aware that she was trying to coax him into acting. But he didn't. He couldn't. Not now, not in her current condition. Yet when Mai's soft lips descended upon his flesh, he groaned. He had been craving this for so long, craving her for so long. He wasn't going to be able to hold out for much longer, that he knew.

Mai's lips and tongue traveled across Naru's chest, while her fingers slowly quested lower. When they reached the waistband of his pants, they paused for a moment, before going over and continuing. Though the fabric was clearly in the way, it didn't stop her, and neither did he.

But when Mai's questing fingers traced over the growing bulge in his pants, Naru suddenly felt his control snap. He couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed her wrists, stopping her, and when she looked at him, surprised and confused, he kissed her, hard.

Mai immediately responded to the kiss and when Naru released her wrists, wrapped her arms around him. He did the same a moment later and pulled her flush against him, deepening the kiss, relishing her taste while he swallowed her soft moans and their tongues battled and danced together.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew, even now, that this was wrong. As much as he wanted her, as much as she clearly wanted him, he knew he should wait for her grief to pass. He knew. But he didn't.

Slightly annoyed at himself, he tugged Mai's shirt and when she understood, helped her pull it off. He struggled not to fumble with the clasp at her back, but got it undone after a second and yanked this garment off as well, leaving Mai naked from the waist up, just like him.

Mai flushed, but didn't stop him when he moved to touch, cupping both of those lovely mounds. He teased her in the same manner in which she had just been teasing him, and was pleased when she arched into his touch, clearly wanting more. He shifted them around so that she was on her back in the bed, and he moved to straddle her hips, never relinquishing his hold on her.

Dipping low, Naru took one of those little buds into his mouth, sucking lightly, rolling it with his tongue, nipping at it with his teeth. Mai moaned softly, her fingers tangling in her boss' hair as she silently begged for more. It seemed that he had heard her plea.

Finished with one breast, Naru moved his attention to the other, as one of his hands began to snake downward. He reached the waistband of Mai's skirt, and paused, hesitating once more.

"It's alright," said Mai softly from beneath him. "Don't stop, Naru."

Mere seconds later Mai was completely bare under him. She was blushing again, but didn't say anything, unsure of what to do at the moment. So she kept her brown eyes on Naru's face. He just stared at her for a moment, and her blush deepened under his silent scrutiny.

Embarrassed because Naru wasn't saying anything, Mai closed her eyes. There was a rustling of fabric and, curious, she opened her eyes again. Mai quickly felt as if her face was on fire. Naru had taken off the remainder of his own clothing, and was as naked as she was.

"Mai..." Though it was just the girl's name, Naru was aware that he had silently posed a question as well.

Hearing the question in her name, Mai smiled gently, glad that he was at least making sure, even though she knew she wasn't about to stop him. "I haven't changed my mind, Naru," she replied in a soft tone. "I want you. Only you."

Naru simply kissed her again as he slowly shifted her legs apart, needing better access. They both knew she was more than ready though. He saw the pain on her face when he sheathed himself within her tight heat, though it killed him to see it, and he waited for her encouraging nod before he continued to move, unwilling to hurt her further.

Mai's eyes fell shut on their own accord as she pulled Naru close to her, nails digging into his back while she tried to control her moans, not wanting anyone to hear. She knew that even though she'd practically forced Naru into doing this, he was still holding himself back for her sake. She loved him for that. For his tender concern. Even though he didn't always show it.

Mai felt as if her blood had been replaced with champagne, bubbles flowing through her, making her feel all light and tingly. Those bubbles traveled from her head to her toes, filling her with so much pleasure that she could barely breathe.

"Naru! Naru! Naru!" She chanted him name as she reached her peak, unable to get anything other than his name out. Her toes curled and when Naru released a hiss of pain, she knew that she had broken the skin of his back with her nails. Yet she couldn't care less. Not when Naru was still moving inside her, his pace quickly losing its steady rhythm. She knew he was close.

Naru pulled Mai unto another heated kiss and moments later, his body went ridged as his climax tore through him. He gasped out the girl's name and then collapsed on top of her, completely spent. Gathering his energy, he rolled off her and gathered her close, unwilling to let her go.

As they both began to doze off, Naru heard Mai's quiet, "Thank you, Naru. I love you." But before he could even think to respond, the girl was fast asleep, cuddling close to him.

Naru smiled slightly and gently pushed Mai's hair out of her eyes. His lips brushed over hers softly before he allowed sleep to claim him as well, hoping that, case or not, Mai didn't dream. She needed a break, and he was glad that he could give it to her...

**And that's it for this chapter. Like I said, I don't have much practice with lemons, despite what goes through my mind, so I'm hoping it was alright. There shouldn't be too many more chapters, but who knows. I may suddenly toss in another twist. Would you believe me if I said I haven't planned through anything in this fic? It's all just...come out. So again, considering, I'm glad so many people like this. As usual, dunno when the next chapter will be up. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Yo. Long wait, huh? About eight months? As always, sorry, and also as always, thank you to all readers and an extra thanks to anyone who reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

Mai was the first one to awake the next morning. She was surprised at first, when she noticed that neither she nor Naru, who she was currently cuddled up against, were wearing any clothes. It took her a moment to remember why, but when she had, a deep blush appeared on her face. She couldn't believe what she had asked Naru to do. But she was very happy that he had complied.

A careful knock later, the door opened and revealed Lin, who smiled in a surprisingly gentle manner when he saw that Mai was awake. Approaching, he stopped nearby, respectfully keeping his eyes on her face, rather than her bed sheet clad body. Naru slept away, completely oblivious, and their clothes lay at the foot of the bed, where they had unknowingly discarded them the previous night.

"Mai-san," greeted Lin softly. "I hope you slept well?"

The girl's hands tightened their hold on the bed sheet as Mai recalled what _else_ had occurred the previous day. Unable to say anything, she simply nodded, receiving a smile in return.

"Breakfast is nearly ready," said the man after a moment, "and we have much to discuss. A warning though, Noll is a heavy sleeper, and waking him is always quite a task."

That managed to get a small smile from Mai, who nodded once more. Responding in kind, Lin left the room. Mai sighed when he was gone, and looked over at Naru, who was still fast asleep and hadn't seemed to have noticed a thing.

She couldn't help but smile again when she saw her boss-now boyfriend-sprawled out on the bed, sheets pooled around his waist, leaving his back completely bare. Giving into temptation, she leaned in closer and began running her fingers down Naru's spine.

"Naru," she called softly, continuing to run her fingers up and down his back. As expected, he didn't even stir. Wondering what she would have to do to wake him up, Mai called his name again. Still, Naru didn't react. She poked him this time-right in the back of the head. When this too garnered no reaction, she pouted a little. "Naru, if you don't wake up, I'm going to draw a mustache on your face in permanent marker."

This time, Naru's eyes snapped open. "Don't. You. Dare."

Mai laughed. It was so like Naru to react only when his perfect visage was at stake. "Lin-san says it's time to get up," she said once she'd calmed. "He said we have a lot to talk about."

Nodding, the young boss sat up and stretched, causing his assistant-now girlfriend-to flush at the sight. "How are you feeling, Mai?" he asked, now focusing on her.

Mai just shrugged. "Alright..."

Naru smiled softly and ran his fingers down the girl's cheek. "It'll get easier. Trust me." Of course, he knew she likely already knew that.

Mai nodded, aware Naru was talking about losing her father, rather than sleeping together. She knew he was right though. After all, this wasn't the first time she'd lost a family member. She hadn't felt like this since she'd lost her mother and sister all those years ago.

Boss and younger assistant freshened up and dressed for the day, before heading out in search of the rest of the team. They found them seated around the table in the dining room, all chatting quietly. Mai received many soft smiles when she and Naru joined them. Oddly enough, she looked the most rested out of them all. Bou-san in particular looked on if he had been to Hell and back, and it was with a jolt that Mai remembered that it was the monk who had been guarding her father when the attack had occurred.

The team continued to chat while they ate, discussing anything and everything except their current case. Clearly no one wanted to bring them all back to the terrible situation that was their reality. Unfortunately, terrible though that reality was, they had no choice but to return to it.

When Naru called for more tea, it was Bou-san who volunteered to go to the kitchen with Mai. As soon as the kettle had been put on, Bou-san dropped to his knees in front of Mai, and took her hands in his.

"Gods, Mai, I'm so sorry," he began, looking more than a little upset. "I was supposed to be protecting him. I was supposed to make sure nothing happened to him. I can't even imagine how much you must hate me right now!" The monk rambled on, unable to hear the girl's attempts to stop him.

"Bou-san. Bou-san!" Wrenching a hand out of the man's grasp, she gave his hair a sharp tug, satisfied she had his full attention when he hissed in pain. "Bou-san, look at me. It's not your fault, okay? I'm not blaming you for anything. No, shh-just listen." She paused, making sure he was doing just that. "_You_ didn't hurt otou-san. That damn spirit did, and _he's_ the one I blame for this. Not you."

"But it cost you your father, Mai," said the man imploringly. "And you only just found out about him too."

Mai shrugged half-heartedly. "You can't miss what you've never had, right? I thought I had lost him a _long_ time ago."

Bou-san opened his mouth to speak, but was inadvertently cut off when the kettle sounded. He got to his feet and watched the girl he considered a little sister finish preparing tea. Her emotional strength truly was formidable. It really was almost embarrassing how much stronger she was than the rest of them, while they were the adults.

Upon entering the Base, Mai and Bou-san found the rest of the team crowded around Lin's monitors. On these monitors, paused on screen, was Akira. The monk heard Mai suck in a sharp breath, but watched her square her shoulders, jaw set, and step forward to pass out the tea.

_Strong indeed_, he thought with a small smile. Out loud, he said, "What's going on?"

"We decided it would be best if we watched the footage of what happened to-to Akira-san last night," replied John, blue eyes flickering over to Mai as he spoke.

Everyone looked over at the brown haired girl. "You don't have to do this part, Mai," said Naru surprisingly gently.

Mai however, was not about to have any of that. "I want to see it," she said firmly.

Naru and Mai stared at one another for a moment, before the former inclined his head. "Very well. Come here then."

Lin waited until everyone was near enough to see, before pressing play. Nobody spoke, the entire team watching intently.

_Bou-san and Akira were alone in the older man's room. They were speaking quietly about this and that, and both seemed perfectly at ease. Clearly neither of them sensed any sort of threat nearby. Akira suddenly gasped, and the monk immediately asked him what was wrong._

_"My chest. It burns...!"_

_Frowning, Bou-san stood up and had only just begun to approach Akira, when he froze abruptly. "You're bleeding!"_

_And indeed blood was beginning to stain the man's blue shirt, quickly dieing it crimson. Both men tore at the fabric, needing to see what was wrong. They could do nothing more than stare when they finally managed to get Akira's shirt off._

_There were gashes on the man's chest, two deep gashes that were bleeding badly. Even as they stared, two more appeared, making the older man cry out in pain. They weren't scratches-no-they were far worse. It looked as if they were being gouged with a knife._

_"Ayako! Get in here!" Bou-san yelled out, guiding Akira to the bed._

_"What do you wan-what the hell's going on!?" The red haired woman rushed to the bed just as Lin, John, and Yasuhara came into the room-all three freezing at the sight before then. The monk yelled at them to help Ayako, while he positioned himself at the end of the bed and began chanting. The doctor, hands already bloody, barked out orders that the others followed immediately and without any hesitation. And during this, Akira only grew paler._

_"Someone get Mai," said Ayako suddenly._

_Everyone stopped all movement for a brief moment, before Lin nodded and left the room, his urgent yell for Naru and Mai sounding mere seconds later._

And the rest of the scene played out, the team watching intently in solemn silence. Naru was holding Mai close to him, running a soothing hand down her back as she, along with the rest of them, watched her father die once more.

When a short, clipped laugh sounded, brows furrowed in confusion. The Mai on screen released an anguished cry when her father went limp, and the laugh sounded again. Loud, maniacal, evil sounding laughter that raised the hairs on the back of their necks. A laugh that was easily recognizable as belonging to Jack Midnight.

When the screen went blank, the team made sure Mai was alright before focusing on the young boss. One of his hands was resting on the small of Mai's back, the other clutching her hand. Everyone knew what had occurred the night before between the now couple, and they also knew that right now, Naru was furious.

"We're ending this," said Naru, eyes hard. "Today."

**And that's where this chapter ends. At the moment, I'm assuming there should only be two more chapters-the climax of the case and the epilogue. Of course, dunno when the next chapter will be up and I'll be looking forward to reviews! Happy holidays! Laterz!**


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